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RECOLLECTIONS 


1832  to  1886 


BY  THE  RIGHT   HONORABLE 

SIR  ALGERNON  WEST,  K.C.B. 

ILLUSTRATED 


HARPER    &    BROTHERS    PUBLISHERS 
NEW   YORK   AND    LONDON 

1900 


Copyright,  1899,  by  Harpkb  &  Brothkeb. 


All  riyhu  rettrttj. 


PREFACE 


I  HAVE  written  the  following  pages  partly  as  an  oc- 
cupation for  myself,  partly  for  the  interest  they  may 
possess  for  my  children  and  those  of  my  contemporaries 
who  still  remain.  My  recollections  do  not  profess  to  be 
accurate  chronologically  or  historically,  and  my  stories 
are  only  old  friends  that  I  would  not  willingly  see  die. 

Mr.  Knowles,  the  Editor  of  the  Nineteenth  Century, 
has  kindly  allowed  me  to  reproduce  some  parts  of  arti- 
cles that  have  already  appeared  in  his  Keview. 

Algernon  West. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  I 

1832-1848 

Parentage — Double  Relationship  with  Sir  Robert  Walpole — A  Con- 
temporary of  the  Reform  Bill  —  Autre  temps,  autres  mocurs — 
Gilbert  West  —  Brothers  and  Sisters  —  Memories  of  Sheen  and 
Richmond — The  ]\Iisses  Fanshawe — Legal  Luminaries  in  New 
Street :  Lords  Abinger  and  Campbell,  Sir  Fitzroy  Kelly,  etc. — 
Hustings  Speeches  in  Covent  Garden  —  Public  Buildings,  Old 
and  New — The  Green  Paik  Sixty  Years  Ago— Cabs  and  Chariots 
— My  Introduction  to  the  "Nursery"  at  the  Foreign  Office: 
Vagaries  of  the  Junior  Clerks — Lord  Orford's  Eccentricities — 
Visits  to  Hampton  Court  and  Walmer— Memories  of  the  Great 
Duke — Celebrities  at  Walmer — Move  to  Preston  Hall,  near  Leeds 
— Visits  to  WatertoD,  the  Naturalist — Mr.  Busfield  Ferrand,  the 
Member  for  Knaresborough — George  Lane-Fox,  Master  of  the 
Braraham  Moor  Hounds— Famous  Murder  Trials  .  Courvoisier, 
Greenacre,  Goode — Lord  Cardigan's  Trial ,  the  Death  of  Duel- 
ling—Sir Robert  Peel  at  the  Guildhall  in  1841— A  Strange  Fi- 
nancial Blunder — "Hurry"  Hudson  —  Eton  in  1843  Distin- 
guished Contemporaries  —  House  Party  at  Lord  Henley's  in 
1846— Successful  Mediocrities — Wilberforce  at  Eton— Flight  of 
Louis  Philippe Page  1 

CHAPTER  II 

1848-1851 

Visit  to  Belgium  and  Paris  —  The  President  and  the  Garter  —  Sir 
Robert  Peel's  Accident  and  Death — I  Migrate  from  King's  Col- 
lege, London,  to  Christ  Church,  Oxford— Osborne  Gordon  and 

V 


CONTENTS 

his  Pupils— I  Accept  Alfred  Montgomery's  Offer  of  a  Clerkship 
in  the  Income-tax  Office  in  April,  1851  —  Disraeli  and  Monckton 
Milnes  —  Duties  in  the  Inland-revenue  Office  —  Transfer  to  the 
Admiralty — Sir  James  Graham — Bernal  Osborne's  Examination 
— Sir  William  Hayter's  "Idiots"  —  Frederick  Locker  and  the 
Chief  Clerk — The  Reign  of  the  Dandies — Harry  and  William 
Keppel  —  Henry  Calcraft  —  Society  in  the  Early  Fifties  — Al- 
mack's  and  the  Cocoa-tree  Club — Fashions  and  Feeding — Break- 
fasts and  Smoking  —  The  Decline  of  Drinking  —  The  Misses 
Berry's  Salon — Lausdowne  House — Lady  Ashburlon's  Humor — 
Sir  James  and  Lady  Graham — Mrs.  Norton — Lady  Palmerston's 
Parties — Abraham  Hayward  and  the  Wits — Sir  George  Corne- 
wall  Lewis  and  Maurice  Drummond — The  Exhibition  of  1851 — 
— A  Trip  to  Paris — Thackeray's  Lectures — The  Italian  Opera  in 
its  Prime— Sergeant  Murphy's  Stories — Lord  Broughton,  Albert 
Smith,  Mr.  Brookfield,  and  Thackeray Page  37 

CHAPTER  III 

1851-1854 

Palmerston's  Dismissal  and  Revenge  —  Resignation  of  Lord  Juhn 
Russell— Lord  Derby's  Administration — Return  of  Macaulay — 
Robert  Lowe  Enters  Parliament — Juliien's  Concerts — Lord  Clar- 
endon—  Stevenson  Blackwood  —  The  Duke  of  Wellington's 
Lying-in-State  and  Funeral — Disraeli's  Plagiarism— Defeat  of 
his  Budget  Proposals — Lord  Aberdeen's  Coalition  Government 
— A  Visit  to  Netherby  and  Gretna  Green — Wilson  the  Fisher- 
man and  his  Familiarities — AVar  Clouds  in  the  East — Sir  Charles 
Napier— Lord  Anglesey  and  his  Nonconformist  Friend — Depart- 
ure of  the  Scots  Fusilier  Guards — News  of  the  Alma — Balaclava 
— Lord  Ellesmere's  Verses— Elected  to  Brooks's — Sir  David 
Dundas — Cholera  in  London — The  two  George  Moores — Inker- 
man  as  described  by  a  Combatant 63 

CHAPTER  IV 
CRIMEA,  1854-1855 

Frederick  Cadogan's  and  Lord  Ebury's  Offers— I  Start  for  the  Cri- 
mea— Viennese  Hospitalities — Peslh  and  the  Danube — Landing 
at  Giurgevo — Journey  to  Bucharest — Greiiville  iMurray — Miss 
Kenneth — Rustchuk,  Cadikeui,  Shumlah,  Varna — Omar  Pasha — 

vi 


CONTENTS 

Arrival  at  Cossacks  Bay — The  French  Camp — A  Disagreeable 
Contrast — First  View  of  Balaclava — Tlie  Camp  of  the  First  Di- 
vision— The  Guards'  Quarters — Colonel  Hardinge's  Despair — 
Dinner  with  Blackwood — The  Lost  Zouave — A  Beautiful  Road 
— Sir  George  Brown  and  Fenuefather — Mismanagement  in  the 
Crimea — Homeward  Voyage — Tlie  Bosphorus  and  Constanti- 
nople—The Hospitals  at  Scutari— Meeting  with  Eton  Friends — 
The  Isles  of  Greece — Messina,  Marseilles,  Paris — Return  to  Lon- 
don— Retrospect Page  84 

CHAPTER  V 

1855-1856 

Interviews  with  Lord  John  Russell — Lord  Panmure  and  his  Tele- 
gram— Lord  Palmerston,  Prime  Minister — Sir  Charles  Wood  at 
the  Admiralty — His  Knowledge  of  Detail — Lord  Northbrook's 
Early  Career  and  Official  Experience — Measui'ing  the  Cadets — 
Crokerand  Peel — Mrs  Lane-Fox's  Dinners — Charles  Villiers  and 
Mrs.  Seymour — Lord  Canning's  Speech  at  the  East  India  Com- 
pany's Dinner  in  1855— Visit  of  the  King  of  Sardinia — My  Trip 
to  the  Baltic — Danlzic,  Nargon,  Seskar  —  Theatricals  on  the 
Blenheim  —  Land  Journey  througli  Sweden — Wisby,  Calmar, 
Carlskrona,  Malmo — The  Sights  of  Copenhagen — Elsinore  and 
Hamlet's  Grave  —  Home  via  Hamburg,  Cologne,  and  Calais — 
Proclamation  of  Peace  with  Russia,  March  30,  1856  —  Burning 
of  Covent  Garden  Theatre  —  Death  of  Colonel  Damer  —  His 
Distinguished  Career — Distribution  of  Crimean  Medals  by  the 
Queen  —  City  Failures  —  Palmer  the  Poisoner  —  The  Daguerreo- 
type Mania 117 

CHAPTER  VI 

1856-1858 

Lord  Palmei'ston  and  Life  Peerages  —  Visit  to  Hinchinbroke — 
Meeting  with  Lord  Granville — His  Career,  Manners,  and  Wit — 
Charles  Gore's  Reminiscences  of  the  Court — Anecdotes  of  Count 
d'Orsay  —  Lord  Sydney,  the  Ideal  Lord  Chamberlain — Henry 
and  Monty  Corry — "Jacob  Omnium"  and  the  Guards — Lord 
Somerton  and  his  Wife — Delaue,  of  the  Times:  his  Meeting 
with  Disraeli — Dicky  Doyle — With  the  Militia  at  Barnet — The- 
atrical and  Operatic  Memories — Visit  to  Althorp— Lord  Spencer 

vii 


CONTENTS 

and  the  Dealer— Tlie  China  War  and  General  Election— The  Ind- 
ian Miitin}'  —  Defeat  and  Resignation  of  Lord  Palmerston — 
Lord  Derby  Prime  Minister Page  143 


CHAPTER  VII 

1858-1861 

I  become  Enp:aged  to  Miss  Mary  Barrington— Her  Relations  with 
her  Grandfather,  Lord  Grey,  and  her  Uncle,  General  Grey — 
Visits  to  Woolbeding— Lady  Grey's  Salon — The  Old  Reform 
Party — Sir  George  Grey  au(l  Edward  Ellice — Marriage  and  Vis- 
its in  the  North — Henry  and  Charles  Greville— Sir  John  Pak- 
ington  and  the  Duke  of  Somerset — Visits  to  Ireland,  Ilowick, 
and  Weutworth— Anecdotes  of  Lord  Fitzwilliam  and  the  Silent 
Cavendishes  —  Installed  at  Kensington  Palace  —  Disraeli's  Re- 
form Bill — Return  of  Lord  Palmerston — His  Love  of  a  Joke — 
Marochetti— The  Volunteer  Mania 159 

CHAPTER  VIII 

1861-1867 

Appointed  Private  Secretary  to  Sir  Charles  Wood  at  the  India 
Office — Wembley  Orchard — Sir  Charles  Wood  as  an  OH'Ktial — 
Distinguished  Anglo-Indians  •.  Sir  John  Lawrence  and  Sir  John 
Montgomery — The  Decline  of  Swearing — Sir  James  Hogg,  and 
Sir  James  Oulram,  the  "Bayard  of  India"  —  Deaths  of  the 
Prince  Consort,  Sidney  Herbert,  Sir  James  Graham,  and  Lord 
and  Lady  Canning — The  Story  of  Sir  John  Lawrence's  Appoint- 
ment— Marriage  of  the  Princess  of  Wales — My  son  Gilbert:  His 
Short  but  Distinguislied  Career — Deatlis  of  Lord  Lansdowne 
and  Thackeray — The  Garibaldi  Mania — Visits  to  Latimer  and 
Rushmore — ]\Iove  to  Hill  House,  Stanmoro — Disraeli  on  Cobden 
— Resignation  of  Lord  Westbury  :  His  Wit  and  Sharp  Sayings — 
Death  of  Lord  Palmerston  :  Conspicuous  Absentees  at  his 
Funeral— Troubled  Times  in  1806— Sir  Charles  Wood's  Hunting 
Accident  and  Resignation — Regi'et  at  the  India  Office — Tribute 
of  the  Times — I  am  Appointed  Deputy- Director  of  the  Ind- 
ian Military  Funds — Relations  with  Mr.  Seccombe,  ^ir  Charles 
Trevelyan,  and  Sir  John  Kaye — My  Book  on  Sir  Charles  Wood's 
.Admiuistralion  of  India — Charles  Lamb  at  the  India  Office — 

viii 


CONTENTS 

Mr.  Goschen's  Promotion  to  Cabinet  Rank— The  Cave  of  Adul- 
1am — Defeat  of  the  Reform  Bill — Mr.  Lowe  in  Opposition  and 
Office— Latin  Quotations  in  the  House — Close  of  Lord  John  Rus- 
sell's Career — His  Attitude  to  Peel— The  Hyde  Park  Riots — 
Father  Prout— Disraeli's  Ten  Minutes  Bill— The  Derby  of  1867 
— Visits  to  Hazelvvood  and  Westbrook — Lord  Stratford  de  Red- 
clifife— Visit  of  the  Sultan— The  Clerkenwell  Explosion— Mar- 
riage of  the  Duke  of  St.  Albans Page  176 

CHAPTER  IX 

1868-1869 

Kirkraan  Hodgson  :  His  Mother's  Reminiscences  of  Robespierre — 
Moor  Park  and  Cassiobury  —  John  Stuart  Mill's  Candidature 
for  Westminster — Death  of  Lord  Brougham  :  His  Wit  and  Ego- 
tism— Mr.  Gladstone's  Return  to  Power — I  am  Appointed  His 
Private  Secretary  —  William  Bramston  Guidon:  His  Quixotic 
Conscientiousness — Lord  Granville  and  Mr.  Gladstone — Bobsy 
Meade — Mr.  Arthur  Helps — Mr.  Reeve — Mr.  Arthur  Arnold — 
Residence  in  Downing  Street  —  Mr.  Gladstone  and  the  Irish 
Church  Disestablishment — His  Great  Speech  on  March  1,  1869 
— Mr.  Gladstone  at  the  Derby — Holidays  at  Walmer  Castle — 
Walks  with  Mr.  Gladstone— Irish  Church  Bill  Carried— End  of 
the  Session — At  Highgate  with  George  Glya  :  His  Three  Ambi- 
tions—Holidays at  Fincastle — De  Grey's  Rifle-shooting — Henry 
Austin  Bruce  :  His  Unselfish  Character 202 


CHAPTER  X 

1870 

Our  Thursday  Dinners  at  Downing  Street— Anecdote  of  Mr.  Glad- 
stone— Massacre  of  Englishmen  by  Greek  Brigands — Death  of 
General  Grey — Instances  of  Mr.  Gladstone's  Absorption — Cock- 
burn  and  Bethell — Death  of  Lord  Clarendon  :  Mr.  Hammond's 
Forecast — The  Education  Bill :  Forster's  Speech — Mr.  Gladstone's 
Thoughts  of  Retirement — His  Criticism  of  Veterans — Death  of 
my  Father:  Mr.  Gladstone's  Letter — Holidays  at  Walmer  :  Lord 
Granville's  GIief—Mr.  Gladstone  at  the  Play  :  His  Dislike  of 
Scriptural  Allusions — Practical  Jokes  at  Walmer — Mr.  Glad- 
stone and  Tobacco— His  Tricks  of  Gesture  :  the  Dean  of  Wind- 

ix 


CONTENTS 

sor'3  Remonstrance— Sir  "William  Gull— Loss  of  The  Captain 
— Death  of  My  Mother  —  Anecdote  of  Appleton,  the  Office- 
Keeper— Visits  to  RiinstoD— Whyte  Melville  and  Bob  Grim- 
ston Page  220 

CHAPTER  XI 

1871-1872 

Proposal  to  Enter  Parliament  for  Coventry  on  Sir  Henry  Bulwer's 
Elevation  to  the  Peerage — Dinner  at  Edward  Levy's — Sir  Henry 
James's  Quotation — Episodes  of  the  Session — Visits  to  Nocton 
and  Somerley — My  Last  Shooting-party — Tom  Price's  Appetite 
— The  Prince  of  Wales's  Illness  —  Sir  William  Bovill  and  the 
Forged  Letter  —  Farewell  Dinner  to  Lord  Northbrook  —  Lord 
Dufferin's  Appointment  as  Canadian  Viceroy — Mrs.  Norton — 
Disraeli  and  Mr.  Brand  —  A  Historic  Chess-board  —  Sir  John 
Rose  and  his  Wife— Hooker  and  Ayrton— The  "Collier  Scandal " 
— Advantages  of  a  Cabinet  of  Private  Secretaries — My  Appoint- 
ment as  Commissioner  of  Inland  Revenue — Regret  at  Leaving 
Mr.  Gladstone  —  His  Appreciation  —  Tribute  of  the  Times  — 
Proposed  History  of  the  1868  Government  —  Mr.  Gladstone's 
Advice 235 

CHAPTER   XII 
Mr.  Gladstone 247 

CHAPTER  XIII 

1872-1875 

Chesterfield  Street  in  1872  :  Historical  Associations — Watts's  Stu- 
dio :  the  Cosmopolitan  Club — The  Board  of  Inland  Revenue  : 
Ilerries  and  Stephenson  — Visit  to  Paris  :  Traces  of  the  Siege — 
Visit  to  Studley  in  January,  1873  —  Dicky  Doyle  —  Deaths  of 
Bishop  Wilberforce  and  Lord  Westbury — Royal  Commission  on 
Judicial  Establishments  —  First  Visit  to  Hawarden  —  Mr.  Glad- 
stone and  Tree-felling— Sir  Frederick  Abel's  Experiment — Mr. 
Gladstone  on  the  Extravagance  of  the  Indian  Council- His  De- 
feat on  the  Irish  Elducation  Bill— The  Election  of  1874— Retro- 
spect of  the  Government  of  1868-1874— Fire  at  the  Pantechni- 
con —  Froude    and    Kingsley  —  Holidays    at    Datchet  —  Lord 

X 


CONTENTS 

Granville  on  Landscape  Gardening  —  Death  of  Lady  Caroline 
Barrington  —  Residence  at  Wimbledon  and  Fairmile  Com- 
mon  Page  361 


CHAPTER  XIV 

1875-1879 

Mr.  Gladstone's  Motive  in  Retiring  from  the  Leadership  —  Lord 
Granville  on  the  House  of  Lords  —  Visit  to  Tintagel  —  Dinner 
with  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury — Hawker  of  Morwenstow — 
Sir  George  Trevelyan's  Life  of  Macaulay  —  Mr.  Gladstone  on 
Croker  in  the  Quarterly  —  Lord  Lyttelton's  Death — Mr.  Glad- 
stone's Speech  at  Blackheath  on  the  Bulgarian  Atrocities — His 
Literary  Conversations — Mr.  Gladstone's  Hat— Verger  the  Phren 
ologist — Mr.  Gladstone's  Use  of  Unparliamentary  Language — 
His  Letter  to  Mr.  Herries — My  Appointment  as  Deputy-Chair- 
man of  the  Inland  Revenue  Board — Visit  to  Hawarden  in  1878 
— Mr.  Gladstone's  Estimates  of  Forster  and  Lowe — Lord  Law- 
rence and  Lord  Lytton— Anecdote  of  Sir  Drummond  Wolff — 
Mr.  John  Murray  on  Successful  Authors — Stamp  Reform :  My 
Victory  over  Welby  — Letter  from  Mr.  Liugen — Marriage  of  the 
Duke  of  Connaught— Visit  to  Studley 277 


CHAPTER  XV 

1880 

Announcement  of  the  Dissolution — Mr.  Gladstone's  Second  Midlo- 
thian Campaign— Herbert  Gladstone's  Candidature  for  Middle- 
sex— Letters  from  Mr.  Gladstone — Adam's  Prophecies  of  Victory 
— Mr.  Bright's  Tribute  to  Mr.  Gladstone — Lord  Beaconsfield's 
Comment  on  the  Tory  Debacle — Mr.  Gladstone  sent  for  to  Wind- 
sor—  The  New  Beer  Duty  —  Mr.  Gladstone's  Enthusiasm  for 
Finance  :  His  Wonderful  jNIemory — Mr.  Watney's  Testimony — 
Appointment  of  my  Son  Horace  as  Private  Secretary  to  Mr.  W. 
E.  Forster — His  Experiences  in  Dublin — The  Arrest  of  Mr.  Par- 
nell :  Elaborate  Precautions — Mr.  Forster  and  his  Revolver — 
His  Dislike  of  Police  Protection — Anecdote  of  Judge  Barry — 
Narrow  Escape  of  Mr.  Forster  at  Westland  Row  in  March,  1882 

— Father  Healy's  Wit — An  Indignant  Archbishop 292 

xi 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  XVI 

1880-1881 

Correspondence  witli  Lord  and  Ladj'  Ripnn— Letter  from  Lord 
Slierbrooke — Mr.  Ghidslone  on  the  Beer  Duty  Bill  and  the  Board 
of  Inland  Revenue — All-night  Sitting  in  the  House — Companion- 
ship of  the  Bath  :  Mr.  Gladstone's  Letter  —  Trip  to  the  Riviera 
with  Sir  John  Rose — A  Parisian  Dinner — Nice  and  Monte-Carlo — 
Sir  John  Rose's  Brilannic  Mood  —  Ill-health  and  Resignation  of 
Herries — Appointed  Chairman  of  Inland  Revenue  Board — Let- 
ter from  Sir  Ralph  Lingen — Retirement  of  Alfred  Montgomery 
— His  Career  and  Personal  Charm  and  Wit— "Not  One  of  the 
Public  " — Rebuke  to  a  Private  Secretary — Tiip  to  Corsica  in 
the  Pandora — Visit  to  the  Pictri  Family — Ajaccio — Expeditions 
in  Sardinia — Return  to  VValraer Page  309 

CHAPTER  XVII 

1882-1883 

Site  and  History  of  Wanborough— Changes  in  the  Government — 
Resignation  of  Forster — Lord  Frederick  Cavendish's  Appoint- 
ment— News  of  the  Phoenix  Park  Murders — Funeral  at  Chats- 
worth— Mr.  Gladstone  at  the  Guildiiall— Arrest  of  Mr.  Parnell 
— Sir  Stafford  Northcote  and  Mr.  Gladstone— Visit  to  Hayes — 
Lord  Randolph  Ciiurchill  on  the  Inland  Revenue  Board — j\Ir. 
Gladstone's  Defence — Harry  Keppel's  Reminiscences  of  Lord 
Salloun— Origin  of  Sailor's  Blue  Collars — Invitation  to  Join  the 
Cruise  in  the  Pembroke  Castle  with  JMr.  Gladstone — Start  from 
Barrow — Miss  Laura  Tennant — In  Scottish  Waters — Arrival  of 
Sir  William  Harcourt  and  Sir  Andrew  Clark  —  The  Laureate's 
Reading  —  Question  of  his  Peerage— Visit  to  Kirkwall  —  Mr. 
Gladstone's  Speech  —  Across  the  North  Sea  in  a  Fog  —  Talks 
with  Mr.  Gladstone — Landing  at  Christiansand — Copenhagen — 
Dinner  at  the  Palace — Visit  of  the  Royalties— The  Princess  of 
Wales  and  Tennyson  —  Return  Home — Miss  Tennant's  Charm 
—Her  Visit  to  Wanborough 333 

CHAPTER   XVIII 

1884 

Mr.  Gladstone  on  Free-trade  and  Protection — Anecdotes  of  Lord 
Lytton— General  Gordon's  Mission  to  the  Soudan— Meeting  at 

xii 


CONTENTS 

the  War  Office— Gordon's  Demand  for  Zebehr — Lord  Acton's 
Library— Panizzi's  La«t  Days— Conversations  with  Mr.  Morley 
and  Lord  Acton — Mr.  Gladstone's  Portrait  at  Somerset  House — 
Funeral  of  the  Duke  of  Albanj^ — Lord  Lyons  and  George  Shef- 
field— Conversations  with  Lord  Granville — Cabinets  and  Gossip 
— Earthquake  in  London — Lord  Granville  at  Wanborough — Mr. 
Gladstone  on  Seceders — Letters  from  Sir  Erskine  May  and  Sir 
John  Lambert  —  Anecdote  of  Bishop  Perc}'^  and  Mr.  Justice 
Maule — Mr.  Gladstone  on  Lord  Randolph  Churchill — Liberals 
Improved  as  Speakers  by  Secession — Mr.  Gladstone's  Height — 
Dynamite  Explosions  in  London  —  Mr.  Browning's  Story  of 
Ruskin — Mr.  Gladstone's  View  of  Fronde's  Caiiyle — Tenniel  on 
the  Punch  Cartoons — Charles  Clifford's  Recollections  of  Rogers 
and  the  Grevilles— Hallam  Tennyson's  Wedding — A  Thursday 
Breakfast  with  Mr.  Gladstone  —  The  Lords  and  the  Franchise 
—Death  of  Lady  Halifax  —  Welby's  Suggested  Inscription  for 
Mr.  Gladstone's  Bust — Miss  Tennant  and  her  Sister  Visit  Wan- 
borough —  Lord  Northbrook's  Mission  to  Egypt  —  His  Quixotic 
Loyalty  —  Mr.  Gladstone  and  Abraham  Hay  ward  —  Death  of 
Lord  Ampthill Page  341 

CHAPTER  XIX 

1884-1885 

Dinner  at  Brooks's — Mr.  Gladstone  on  Lord  Lytton — His  Views  on 
the  Chiltern  Hundreds  and  on  Mr.  Parnell — Sir  William  Har- 
court  on  Disraeli's  Reform  Bill — Visits  to  Netherby  and  the 
Glen — Mr.  Childers  as  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer — Sir  Charles 
Trevelyau's  Dispute  with  Mr.  James  Wilson — Introduction  of 
the  Franchise  Bill— Conflict  between  the  two  Houses — Death  of 
Mr.  Fawcett  —  Laborers'  Views  of  the  Franchise  —  Lord  Duf- 
ferin  Starts  for  India — Negotiations  with  Walter  Northcote — 
Secret  Meeting  between  Sir  Stafford  Northcote  and  Mr.  Glad- 
stone— Letter  from  Mr.  Leonard  Courtney— Death  of  Mr.  Hen- 
ley—  His  Views  on  Asylums  —  Conversation  with  Mr.  Charles 
Villiers — His  Views  on  Social  Morality,  Money-making,  Protec- 
tion—Huskisson's  Remark  on  Peel — Croker's  Memoirs— QmzofB 
View  of  Croker — The  Duke  of  Wellington's  Policy— Mme.  Jane 
Hading  in  "Le  Maitre  de  Forges"  and  "Frou-Frou"  —  Anec- 
dote of  Charles  Mathews — Letter  from  Lord  Aberdare — Walter 
Northcote's  Report — News  from  the  Soudan — Explosion  in  the 

House  of  Commons 359 

xiii 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  XX 

1885 

Sir  Charles  Brownlow  on  the  Afghan  Business  and  Lord  Lytton— 
Lord  Granville  ou  the  Situation— News  of  the  Fall  of  Khartoum 
— Colin  Keppel's  Hereditary  Pluck— Lord  Hosebery  and  Mr. 
Shaw-Lefevre  Join  the  Cabinet— Death  of  General  Earle— Mr. 
Gladstone's  Depression  —  Small  Government  Majority  —  Mr. 
Gladstone  on  Old  Testament  Characters — On  Cromwell  and 
Bonaparte  —  Mr.  Gladstone's  Bet  about  Lord  Overstoue's  Pro- 
bate— Mr.  Childers's  Budget — General  Gordon's  Estimate  of  Lord 
Granville,  Lord  Harliugton,  and  Sir  Charles  Dilke— Budget  Dif- 
ficulties— Negotiations  with  the  Great  Brewers — Marriage  of 
Miss  Laura  Tennant — Defeat  of  the  Government  on  the  Second 
Reading  of  the  Budget  Bill — Letter  from  Sir  BtafTord  Northcote 
on  the  Inland  Revenue  Report  —  Interview  with  Sir  Michael 
Hicks-Beach — Sir  Peter  Lumsden — Letter  from  Mr.  Gladstone 
on  the  Inland  Revenue  Report — His  Tribute  to  the  Board — Mr. 
Gladstone's  Versatility — His  Knowledge  of  Music— Reminis- 
cences of  Jenny  Lind — Cardinal  Manning  on  Mr.  Gladstone's 
Retirement — Commission  on  Trade  Depression — Letters  from 
Lord  Iddesleigh  and  Lord  St.  Cyres— Visit  to  Copt  Hall— Elec- 
tion Talk  at  the  Cosmopolitan— Dinner  at  Mr.  Armitstead's — 
Election  Returns — Dinner  at  Brooks's— Henry  James's  Stories 
of  Lord  Randolph  Churchill  —  Conversation  with  Charles  Vil- 
liers— His  Recollections  of  By-gone  Celebrities Page  375 

CHAPTER  XXI 
JANUARY-JUNE,  1886 

Mr.  Gladstone's  Mauvaise  Dizaine  de  Jours — Defeat  of  the  Govern- 
ment— Mr.  Gladstone's  Summons  to  Windsor — Miss  Mary  Glad- 
stone's Wedding — Sir  William  Ilarcourt  Chancellor  of  the  Ex- 
chequer —  Letter  from  Sir  Michael  Hicks  -  Beach  —  The  New 
Cabinet — Contretemps  about  Lord  Granville- Riots  of  the  Un- 
employed— Financial  Conversation  with  Mr.  Chamberlain — First 
Interview  with  Sir  William  Harcourt — Deaths  of  Lord  Cardwell 
and  Napier  Sturt — Lady  Georgiana  Grey — The  "Cottage  Bud- 
get " — Cabinet  Troubles — Mr.  Gladstone's  Home  Rule  Speech — 
Mr.  Bright  and  Mr.  Gladstone- Illness  and  Death  of  Mrs.  Alfred 

xiv 


CONTENTS 

Lyttelton— Letter  from  Sir  Erskine  May— Conversation  with  Sir 
Henry  James  on  tlie  Irish  Question — Mr.  Gladstone's  Indomita- 
ble Spirit Page  391 

CHAPTER  XXII 
JUNE-JULY,  1886 

Mr.  Gladstone's  Sanguine  Temper— Scene  in  the  House— Speeches 
by  Mr.  Goschen,  Mr.  Parnell,  Mr.  Cowen,  and  Sir  Michael  Hiclis- 
Beach— Mr.  Gladstone's  Reply— The  Division  :  Delight  of  the 
Unionists— Mr.  Gladstone  at  Coombe  Wood  :  His  Opinion  of  the 
Inland  Revenue  and  Customs  Board— Mr.  Gladstone's  Desire  to 
Help  Lord  Salisbury— Resignation  of  Mr.  Adam  Young  :  Ap- 
pointment of  Lord  St.  Cyres  as  Deputy-Chairman— Letters  from 
Lord  Iddesleigh,  Mr.  Chamberlain,  and  Mr.  Gladstone  —  Fare- 
well Dinner  at  Downing  Street  —  Quotation  from  Sidney  Her- 
bert—Lord Herschell's  Visit  to  Wanborough  :  His  Anecdotes — 
Lord  Randolph  Churchill  Appointed  Leader  and  Chancellor  of 
the  Exchequer 404 

CHAPTER  XXIII 

JULY-DECEMBER,  1886 

Lord  Randolph  and  the  Old  Officials- Their  Dismay  and  Recon- 
ciliation—Interviews in  the  Board  Room  and  at  Connaught  Place 
— The  "  Fourth  Party  Sofa  "—Lord  Randolph  and  the  Decimals 
— His  Assiduity  and  Concentration— Propositions  for  the  Budget 
— Economy  his  Ruling  Idea — His  Visits  to  Somerset  House  and 
the  Custom  House— His  Sudden  Resignation— His  Personal  Re- 
lations with  his  Opponents  and  Mr.  Gladstone — His  Attacks  on 
Mr.  Gladstone's  Transvaal  Policy  and  Subsequent  Retractation 
— His  Sense  of  Humor  and  Gifts  as  a  Phrasc-coiuer— Mr.  Glad- 
stone's Letter  to  his  Mother  — Mr.  Gladstone  at  "Wanborough  ; 
Writes  his  Farewell  Address  on  Leaving  Office  —  Deputation 
from  Guildford  — Visit  to  the  Italian  Lakes  —  Death  of  George 
Barringtou— Lord  Granville's  Anecdotes  of  Charles  Greville— 
Mr.  Ralston  at  the  Holborn  Restaurant— i'.E'/im 413 

Index 423 

XV 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


THE  RIGHT    HONORABLE    SIR  ALGERNON  WEST,   K.C.B.  Frontispiece 
From  a  drawing  by  the  Marchioness  of  Granby 

THE    RIGHT    HONORABLE    SIR   JAMES    GRAHAM,    BART., 

M.P Facing  p.     44 

SOLDAT  TURC "  102 

QUI  vrv^E! "  106 

LIEUTENANT  DE  LA  MARINE "  110 

INDIGENES  DE  MESSINE "  114 

EARL  GRANVILLE,  K.G "  144 

VISCOUNT  HALIFAX,  G.C.B "  178 

THE  RIGHT  HONORABLE  W.  E.  GLADSTONE,  M.P.  .      .      .  "  214 

WAITING  FOR  THE  VERDICT "  242 

ALFRED  MONTGOMERY "  318 

THE  HONORABLE  MRS.   AI^FRED   LYTTELTON     ....  "  336 
From  a  drawing  by  the  Marchioness  of  Granby 


RECOLLECTIONS 


CHAPTER  I 

1832-1848 


Parentage — Double  Relationship  with  Sir  Robert  Walpole — A  Con- 
temporary of  the  Reform  Bill  —  Autre  temps,  autres  mcEuis  — 
Gilbert  "West  —  Brothers  and  Sisters  —  Memories  of  Sheen  and 
Richmond — The  Misses  Fanshawe — Legal  Luminaries  in  New- 
Street  :  Lords  Abinger  and  Campbell,  Sir  Fitzroy  Kelly,  etc. — 
Hustings  Speeches  in  Covent  Garden  —  Public  Buildings,  Old 
and  New — The  Green  Park  Sixty  Years  Ago — Cabs  and  Char- 
iots— My  Introduction  to  the  "  Nursery  "  at  the  Foreign  Office  : 
Vagaries  of  the  Junior  Clerks — Lord  Orford's  Eccentricities — 
Visits  to  Hampton  Court  and  AValmer — Memories  of  the  Great 
Duke  —  Celebrities  at  Walmer  —  Move  to  Preston  Hall,  near 
Leeds — Visits  to  Waterton,  the  Naturalist  —  Mr.  Busfield  Fer- 
rand,  the  Member  for  Kuaresborough  —  George  Lane  Fox, 
Master  of  the  Bramham  Moor  Hounds — Famous  Murder  Trials  : 
Courvoisier,  Greenacre,  Goode  —  Lord  Cardigan's  Trial  :  the 
Death  of  Duelling— Sir  Robert  Peel  at  the  Guildhall  in  1841— 
A  Strange  Financial  Blunder — "  Hurry  "  Hudson — Eton  in 
1843:  Distinguished  Contemporaries  —  House  Party  at  Lord 
Henley's  in  1846— Successful  Mediocrities— Wilberforce  at  Eton 
— Flight  of  Louis  Philippe. 

I  HAVE  often  regretted  that  I  did  not  know  more  of 
my  father's  early  life,  and  wondered  whether  it  might 
ever  interest  my  children  to  read  about  mine. 

My  father,  Martin  John  West,  was  the  great-grandson 

JL  1 


RECOLLECTIONS  1832- 

of  the  Venerable  Archdeacon  West,  Prebendary  of  Dur- 
ham, who  married  Marion  Temple,  eldest  sister  of  Lord 
Cobham  and  great-aunt  of  AVilliam  Pitt.  His  son  was 
Vice-Admiral  Temi)le  West,  whose  beautiful  monument  is 
iu  Westminster  Abbey — one  of  whose  sons  was  Balchen, 
lieceiver-General  of  the  county  of  Herts,  who  married 
a  daughter  of  Sir  Martin  ilolkes,  from  which  marriage 
my  father  was  born.  He  used  to  speak  of  his  terrible 
sufferings  at  a  private  school  at  Hammersmith,  where 
the  boys  were  literally  starved  and  dared  not  tell  their 
parents,  who  always  called  their  master  that  "good  and 
pious  man."  From  there  he  went  to  Harrow,  where  he 
was  the  contemporary  of  Palmerston  and  Byron,  who  was 
in  those  days  called  ''  Birron."  He  then  went  to  Oxford, 
where  he  was  elected  a  Fellow  of  Merton  with  Robert 
Marsham,  who  became  Warden  of  that  college,  and 
stood  against  Mr.  Gladstone  in  1852.  When  elected, 
Marsham  and  my  father  were  said  to  be  the  two  hand- 
somest men  in  Oxford.  He  was  subsequently  called  to 
the  Bar,  went  the  Norfolk  Circuit,  became  Recorder  of 
Lynn,  a  Commissioner  of  Lunacy  and  then  of  Bank- 
ruptcy. 

My  mother,  Avhen  a  child,  staying  with  her  cousins. 
Misses  Walpole,  made  acquaintance  with  my  father,  who 
was  a  fair-haired  boy,  at  Chiswick  church.  He  died  on 
the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  their  marriage  ;  she  six  months 
later,  and  both  were  buried  in  Chiswick  church-yard, 
the  scene  of  their  earliest  meeting. 

My  mother  was  a  daughter  of  Lord  Orford,  through 
whom  we  trace  our  descent  from  the  great  Sir  Robert 
Walpole,  afterwards  Earl  of  Orford,  who  was  my  great- 
great-grandfather;  his  daughter.  Lady  Mary,  nuirried 
Colonel  Churchill,  a  son  of  General  Churchill  and  the 
fascinating  actress,  Anne  Oldfield ;  their  daughter  be- 
came the  wife  of  Lord  Orford,  my  grandfather.     This 

2 


1848  PARENTAGE    ' 

makes  a  curious  double  relationship,  legitimate  and  ille- 
gitimate, and  endows  my  veins  with  some  theatrical 
blood. 

It  is  curious,  but  human,  that  we  should  be  so  fond  of 
tracing  our  descent  from  great  men,  but  I  hope  the 
weakness  is  pardonable.  I  think  it  is  Macaulay  who  says 
that  those  who  are  not  proud  of  their  ancestors  will  never 
care  to  make  their  posterity  proud  of  them. 

I  was  born  at  my  father's  house.  No.  5  New  Street, 
Spring  Gardens,  on  April  4,  1832,  and  can  claim  an 
exact  contemporary  in  the  great  Eeforni  Bill  of  that 
year ;  indeed,  I  came  into  the  world  at  what  may  fairly 
be  called  the  commencement  of  a  new  era,  for  in  that 
year  the  terrible  criminal  code  which  had  so  long  dis- 
graced our  country  was  repealed. 

Shortly  before  the  Queen's  accession  a  little  boy  was 
sentenced  to  death  for  breaking  a  confectioner's  window 
and  stealing  some  sweetmeats. 

The  kindlier  laws  were  producing  kindlier  manners, 
and  in  1835  only  was  an  Act  passed  to  render  illegal  the 
baiting  of  animals  ;  but  I  recollect  in  my  boyhood  hear- 
ing of  cock-fighting  still  existing  at  Elmore's  Farm,  near 
Harrow,  for  the  amusement  of  those  who  were  wrongly 
called  sportsmen. 

But  the  purer  manners  and  nobler  laws  were  still  only 
beginning,  for  in  1836  there  were  52,000  convicts  living 
in  foreign  lands  in  a  state  of  bestial  immorality.  Now, 
notwithstanding  the  increase  of  population,  there  are 
only  4000  undergoing  penal  servitude,  all  in  this  country. 
In  1837,  4000  debtors  were  lying  in  common  cells  with 
damp  brick  walls,  with  no  bedding,  and  herded  with  mur- 
derers and  common  malefactors.  I  well  recollect  when  I 
was  a  boy  seeing  poor  debtors  looking  through  the  bars 
of  Dover  Castle  and  ringing  a  bell  to  attract  the  atten- 
tion of  the  passers-by,  from  whom  they  solicited  alms. 


RECOLLECTIONS  1832- 

Lunatics,  who  are  now  treated  with  careful  kindness, 
were  chained  togetlier  on  beds  of  straw,  naked,  hand- 
cuffed, and  shown  at  twopence  a  head  for  each  visitor. 

Spencer  Walpole,  in  his  admirable  History,  well  de- 
scribes the  England  of  1815  and  1832  : 

"In  1815  legislation  had  been  directed  to  secure  the 
advantage  of  a  class  ;  in  1832  it  was  directed  to  secure 
the  greatest  happiness  of  the  greatest  number.  .  .  . 

"  Eoman  Catholics  were  admitted  to  Parliament,  the 
Test  and  Corporation  Bill  had  been  repealed,  and  Dis- 
senters were  eligible  for  every  office;  but  while  the  rest 
of  the  country  was  wealthier  and  hap})ier,  Ireland  alone 
was  the  constant  scene  of  misery  and  disturbance,  and 
the  English  laborers,  agricultural  as  well  as  manufactur- 
ing, were  still  in  a  state  of  abject  and  miserable  neglect 
and  poverty." 

One  of  my  godfathers  was  my  uncle  Gilbert  West, 
whose  namesake,  Gilbert  West,  was  Clerk  of  the  Privy 
Council,  and  wrote  a  famous  book  on  the  Kesurrection, 
and  was  editor  of  Pindar,  but  was  better  known  for 
his  friendship  with  the  classical  Lord  Lyttelton,  whose 
verses,  written  in  1740,  are  perhaps  not  sufficiently 
known  to  prevent  my  quoting  them.  Those  in  Latin 
are  by  Gilbert  West,  and  those  in  English  by  Lord  Lyt- 
telton. They  were  inscribed  in  the  summer-house  at 
Wickluim : 

"Hie  mihi  nee  procul  urbe  situs,  nee  prorsus  ad  urbem 
Ne  patiar  turbis  iitque  bonis  potiar ; 
Et  quolies  mutare  locum  faslidia  cogunt 
Transeo  et  altoruis  rure  vel  urbe  fiuor." 

"  Fair  Nature's  sweet  simplicity 
Witb  elegance  refined 
Well  in  thy  scat,  ray  friend,  I  see, 
But  better  in  thy  mind. 
4 


1848     GODFATHERS    AND    GUDMOTliEKS 

"To  both  from  courts  and  all  their  state 
Eager  I  fly  to  prove 
Joys  far  above  a  courtier's  fate, 
Tranquillity  and  love."' 

There  is  a  picture  of  Gilbert  West  at  Hagley,  and  my 
father  always  maintained  that  it  should  have  been  his. 
At  Lord  Lyttelton's  death,  1  was  shocked  to  find  that 
for  purposes  of  probate  it  was  valued  at  10s.  ! 

The  Eev.  Algernon  Peyton  was  my  other  godfather, 
from  whom  I  got  my  name  and  nothing  else  ;  he  held  the 
largest  living  ever  known,  said  to  be  worth  £'14:,000.  a 
year,  and  was  certainly  the  very  prince  of  dandies.  He 
rode  a  smart  hack  in  Eotten  Eow,  wore  very  tight  nan- 
keen trousers,  a  blue  cut-away  coat,  with  a  clove  always 
in  his  button-hole,  and  was  satirically  nicknamed  "The 
Sloven  "  by  his  contemporaries. 

My  godmothers  were  Miss  Fanny  Lambert  Walpole, 
who  died  in  1887,  at  the  age  of  ninety-six,  her  father 
having  been  killed  in  the  Irish  Rebellion  of  1798,  and 
Lady  Charlotte  Walpole,  a  blind  sister  of  my  mother's. 

At  the  time  of  my  birth  I  had  two  brothers — Henry, 
afterwards  M.P.  for  Ipswich,  Q.C.,  Recorder  of  Man- 
chester, and  Attorney-General  of  the  Duchy  of  Lancaster  ; 
and  Richard,  the  well-known  founder  and  first  Vicar  of 
St.  Mary  Magdalene's,  Paddington,  whose  Life  has  re- 
cently been  written  by  Canon  Carter,  of  Clewer — and  two 
sisters;  the  elder  married  Admiral  of  the  Fleet  Hon. 
Sir  Henry  Keppel,  and  my  second  sister  never  married. 
Two  of  my  parents'  daughters  had  died  before  I  came 
into  the  world,  one  from  illness,  and  one  from  a  very  sad 
accident.  Playing  one  evening  in  her  nursery  at  Brighton, 
she  had  suddenly  pulled  down  a  sliding  shutter,  which 
was  a  common  thing  in  those  days,  and  the  window  being 
ojjen  she  fell  on  the  pavement  below  and  received  injuries 
from  which  she  died. 

5 


RECOLLECTIONS  1832- 

Af tcr  my  mother's  death  we  found  among  her  jmpers  a 
letter  written  by  some  woman  to  her  on  this  daughter's 
birth,  saying  she  had  cast  her  horoscope,  and  that  the 
child  born  to  lier  would  die  an  early  and  a  violent  death. 
To  this  letter  was  pinned,  with  no  remark,  the  account 
of  the  accident. 

My  earliest  recollection  takes  me  to  a  large  old-fasli- 
ioned  garden  at  Sheen,  where  I  know  there  were  rasp- 
berries; and  in  the  following  summer  to  a  pretty  house, 
called  Riverdale  Cottage,  on  the  banks  of  the  Thames  at 
Kichmond,  which  my  father  had  hired  for  the  summer 
months.  The  garden  sloped  down  to  the  towing-path, 
and  our  great  delight  was  to  get  into  a  summer-house, 
close  to  it,  and  be  prevented  by  the  rising  tide  from  re- 
turning to  our  lessons. 

Our  garden  was  next  and  ran  parallel  to  that  belong- 
ing to  the  Misses  Fanshawe,  one  of  whom  was  celebrated 
for  her  famous  epigram  on  the  letter  H,  which  was  gen- 
erally, but  erroneously,  attributed  to  Byron,  and  some- 
times published  among  his  poems  : 

" 'Twas  whispered  in  Heaven, 

'Twas  muttered  iii  Hell, 
And  echo  caught  faiDlIy 

Tiie  sound  as  it  fell. 
On  the  confines  of  earth 

'Twas  permitted  to  rest, 
And  the  depths  of  the  ocean 

Its  presence  confessed. 
'Twill  be  found  in  the  sphere 

When  'tis  riven  asunder, 
Be  seen  in  the  liplitning 

And  heard  in  the  thunder. 
'Twas  allotted  to  man 

"With  his  earliest  breath, 
It  assists  at  his  birth 

And  attends  him  in  death, 
6 


1848  THE    LETTER    H 

Presides  o'er  his  happiness, 

Honor,  and  healtli  ; 
Is  the  prop  of  his  house 

And  the  end  of  his  wealth. 
In  the  heaps  of  the  miser 

Is  hoarded  with  care. 
But  is  sure  to  be  lost 

In  his  prodigal  heir. 
It  begins  every  hope, 

Every  wish  it  must  bound  ; 
It  prays  with  the  hermit, 

With  monarchs  is  crowned. 
Without  it  the  soldier, 

The  sailor  may  roam. 
But  woe  to  the  wretch 

Who  expels  it  from  home. 
In  the  whisper  of  conscience 

'Tis  sure  to  be  found. 
Nor  e'en  in  the  whirlpool 

Of  passion  is  drowned.    - 
'Twill  soften  the  heart  ; 

Though  deaf  to  the  ear, 
It  will  make  it  acutely 

And  instantly  hear. 
But,  in  short,  let  it  rest 

Like  a  delicate  flower. 
Oh  !  breathe  on  it  softly. 

It  dies  in  an  hour." 

The  lines  were  written  at  DeepcTene  for  Mrs.  Thomas 
Hope,  and  are  now  the  property  of  Mr.  Philip  Beres- 
ford  Hope,  of  Bedgebury. 

The  j)oetess  had  died  in  1834,  but  lier  sisters  were 
living  at  Richmond,  and  belonged  to  a  small  literary  set 
of  people  of  such  an  old-world  society  that  neither  the 
Misses  Berry  nor  Mrs.  Somerville  could  pierce  their  for- 
mality. 

The  Misses  Fanshawe's  garden  was  also  celebrated  as 
containing  on  the  lawn  a  beautiful  catalpa  tree,  under 

7 


RECOLLECTIONS  1832- 

the  shade  of  wliich  Lady  Scott  laid  the  scene  of  her 
charming  novel  Trevelyan,  now  out  of  fasliion,  in  which 
she  describes  a  summer  evening  as  ''the  close  of  one  of 
those  days  when  mere  existence  was  enjoyment." 

In  our  town  house,  in  New  Street,  we  were  surrounded 
l)y  a  perfect  galaxy  of  legal  luminaries.  At  No.  4  lived 
Lord  Abinger,  as  I  recollect  him,  a  fat,  kindly  old  gen- 
tleman, who  had  started  life  as  a  Whig,  but  had  rapid- 
ly become  a  Tory  ;  as  Sir  James  Scarlett  he  had  been 
Solicitor-General,  and  made  the  largest  income  ever  then 
known  at  the  Bar,  and  was  subsequently  Lord  Chief 
Baron.  "When  he  announced  his  title,  Jckyll  said  : 
"Where  on  earth  did  you  get  such  a  name  ?  I've  heard 
of  Porringer  and  I've  heard  of  Scavenger,  but  never  of 
Abinger.^' 

At  No.  6,  now  pulled  down,  lived  another  friend  of 
my  father's.  Baron  Rolfe,  who  in  1839  became  Solicitor- 
General  in  Lord  Melbourne's  government,  and  after- 
wards, as  Lord  Cranworth,  was  Chancellor  in  Lord 
Aberdeen's  and  Lord  Palmerston's  and  Lord  Russell's 
cabinets.  When  a  judge,  he  tried  and  condemned  to 
death  a  very  notorious  murderer  named  Rush,  and  it  was 
said  that  on  his  elevation  to  the  Peerage  his  title  should 
have  been  Lord  Kilrush.  This  trial  was  remarkable  as 
being  the  first  instance  of  the  publication  in  a  London 
newspaper  of  a  detailed  report  of  a  trial  which  took 
place  as  far  off  as  Norwich.  I  have  been  told  that  the 
reporter,  who  came  up  by  a  special  engine  every  night, 
was  "Billy  Russell."  Rush  was  a  Norfolk  man  and  kept 
the  village  shop,  where  many  a  time  ho  liad  pressed 
peppermints  on  my  not  unwilling  cousins.  Lady  Polling- 
ton  and  Lady  Dorothy  Nevill. 

At  No.  17  lived  Sir  Francis  Baring,  afterwards  First 
Lord  of  the  Admiralty  and  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer 
and  the  first  Lord  Northbrook. 

8 


1848         "PLAIN    JOCK    CAMPBELL" 

Opposite  lived  Mr.  Pemberton  Leigh,  who  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Judicial  Committee  of  the  Privy  Council,  and 
became  Lord  Kingsdown. 

At  No.  9  lived,  as  he  was  fond  of  calling  himself, 
**  Plain  Jock  Campbell."  When  Lord  Melbourne  re- 
fused to  create  him  Master  of  the  Polls,  he  had  consoled 
him  by  making  his  pretty  wife,  who  was  a  daughter  of 
Sir  James  Scarlett,  a  baroness  in  her  own  right — Lady 
Stratheden.  Some  ribald  rhymester  wrote,  as  Lord 
Abinger  told  my  mother  : 

"They've  given  Jock  Campbell  a  slap  in  the  face, 
And  a  bit  of  court  plaister  to  heal  it." 

In  184:1,  just  before  Lord  Melbourne  resigned  office,  Sir 
John  Campbell  was  appointed  Lord  Chancellor  of  Ire- 
land, an  office  he  held  for  six  weeks,  when  he  was  made 
Lord  Campbell,  the  pension  of  which  office  he  gener- 
ously forewent.  In  1846  he  entered  Lord  John  Russell's 
Cabinet  as  Chancellor  of  the  Dnchy  of  Lancaster  ;  and 
in  1859,  on  the  formation  of  Lord  Palmerston's  govern- 
ment, he  became  Lord  Chancellor  at  the  ripe  age  of 
eighty. 

In  the  same  street  was  Sir  Fitzroy  Kelly,  who,  in  1858, 
was  Attorney-General,  and  afterwards  Lord  Chief  Baron 
of  the  Exchequer  ;  he  died  in  1880  at  a  great  age.  In 
1874:  I  was  serving  on  a  Royal  Commission  on  the  Ad- 
ministrative Departments  of  the  Law.  Lord  Bramwell 
was  one  of  our  commissioners,  and  he  came  in  one  day 
saying  he  could  not  stay  long,  as  he  had  left  Kelly  on 
the  Bench  in  an  important  case,  and  ''as  he  is  blind, 
deaf,  and  when  I  came  away  was  fast  asleep,  I  tremble 
for  the  judgment."  When  I  was  a  boy  at  Eton  he  de- 
fended a  man  named  Tawell  for  the  murder  of  a  woman 
by  arsenic,  and  Kelly  argued  that  the  arsenic  found  at 
the  medical  examination  came  from  the  pips  of  apples, 

9 


RECOLLECTIONS  1832- 

of  which  she  was  very  fond,  lie  was  called  in  conse- 
quence "^Apple-pip  Kelly."  Tawell  was  the  first  crim- 
inal arrested  by  means  of  the  telegraph,  then  new,  which 
ran  from  Slough  to  London. 

My  father  was  at  this  time  a  barrister  going  the  Nor- 
folk Circuit,  and  was  Recorder  of  Lynn. 

New  Street  was,  at  the  period  I  speak  of,  the  Western 
Thule  of  lawyers,  and  I  well  recollect  the  astonishment 
produced  in  our  minds  by  Lord  Campbell's  emigration 
to  what  we  then  thought  a  country-house,  opposite  the 
Knightsbridge  Barracks,  still  called  Stratheden  Llouse, 
where  he  died  in  18G1.  At  dinner,  on  the  evening  of 
his  death,  he  had  said  to  his  old  friend  Sir  David  Dundas, 
"■  There  should  be  a  clause  added  to  the  Litany  :  '  From  a 
lingering  illness,  good  Lord,  deliver  us.'  "  His  prayer  was 
heard,  and  the  old  man,  full  of  honors  and  well  stricken 
in  years,  with  no  faculty  impaired,  passed  quietly  away. 

Lord  Cottenham,  who  had  been  Solicitor-General  in 
Lord  Grey's  administration,  and  Lord  Chancellor  in  Lord 
Melbourne's  and  Lord  John  Russell's  governments,  was 
a  friend  of  my  father's,  and  we  often  stayed  Avitli  him  at 
a  villa  called  Copse  llill,  at  Wimbledon. 

His  health  broke  down,  and  to  Lord  Brougham,  who 
called  on  him,  he  complained  of  the  noise  of  Park  Lane, 
and  the  perpetual  annoyance  of  the  organs — "  particular- 
ly,'^  said  Lord  Brougham,  "when  they  will  go  on  play- 
ing 'The  Campbells  are  Coming.'"  He  was  made  an 
earl,  and  a  witty  pamphlet  was  issued  with  the  title 
"  The  Offence  was  Rank." 

Just  round  the  corner,  in  Spring  Gardens,  was  a 
greater  attraction,  for  there  lived  Lord  Seymour,  whose 
beautiful  wife,  a  daughter  of  Sheridan's,  was  the  chosen 
queen  of  beauty  at  the  Eglinton  tournament  in  1839. 
I  saw  her  then,  and  knew  her  well  in  later  years  when 
her  beauty,  but  not  her  charm  or  wit,  had  died  away. 

10 


1848   THE    HUSTINGS    IN    COVENT   GARDEN 

I  used  constantly  to  go  to  my  father's  chambers  in 
4  New  Square,  Lincoln's  Inn,  to  do  my  lessons,  and  on  my 
return  one  day  through  Covent  Garden  I  heard  Sir  de 
Lacy  Evans,  who  had  commanded  a  force  in  the  army  of 
Isabella  II.,  Queen  of  Spain,  and  Sir  John  Shelley,  speak- 
ing on  the  merits  of  free-trade  from  the  hustings  which 
stood  under  the  clock  of  the  church  opposite  the  market. 
Speeches  on  the  hustings  then  played  a  prominent  part 
in  elections.  Admiral  Rous  said  that  more  votes  were 
won  by  clever  repartee  than  people  knew. 

"  If  I  vote  for  you,  what  taxes  will  you  repeal  ?"  said 
a  dirty  fellow  in  the  crowd. 

"  Why,"  said  Rous,  "on  soap,  for  your  sake." 

George  Craven  was  standing  for  Berkshire,  and,  know- 
ing more  about  fox-hunting  than  politics,  used  to  carry 
his  speeches,  which  were  prepared  for  him  by  Edward 
Bouverie,  in  his  hat  for  ready  reference. 

"  What  'ave  you  got  in  your  'at  ?"  cried  a  man. 

'•  Why,  a  d — d  sight  more  than  you  'ave  in  your  'ead  !" 
said  Craven. 

The  recollection  of  those  early  days  of  lessons,  and 
the  experience  of  the  spasmodic  way  of  doing  them  with 
my  father  —  my  stupidity,  his  annoyance,  and  my  dear 
mother's  unhappiness  over  them  —  made  me  determine 
never  to  try  to  teach  my  own  children.  But  my  father 
taught  us  other  things  than  lessons ;  he  had  been  a  great 
athlete  at  school,  and  attributed  all  his  activity  and 
health  in  later  years  to  that,  so  was  constantly  helping 
us  at  cricket,  in  fencing  and  riding. 

My  favorite  walk  as  a  child  was  down  to  the  river, 
where  afterwards  the  suspension-bridge  which  now  con- 
nects Clifton  with  the  other  bank  of  the  Avon  was  erect- 
ed, and  before,  of  course,  the  railway  was  begun  which 
annihilated  the  old  Hungerford  Market,  from  the  steps 
of  which  I  recollect  my  brother  Henry  sculling  me  in  a 

11 


liECOLLECTIONS  1832- 

whorry  up  as  far  as  Putney  to  a  breakfast  at  Lady  Shel- 
ley's, who  had  a  cottage  where  she  entertained  society 
with  strawberries  and  cream.  In  the  mornings  we  used 
to  go  down  the  steps  which  then  led  from  New  Street 
to  St.  James's  Park,  and  watch  the  Life  Guards,  who 
then  wore  bearskins,  changing  guard.  The  Foot  Guards 
in  the  summer  months  wore  white-duck  trousers,  swal- 
low-tailed red  coats  faced  with  white,  cross  belts,  and 
large  white  cotton  epaulets,  and  were  armed,  of  course, 
with  the  old  Brown  Bess. 

No  hideous  new  Admiralty  buildings  then  defaced  the 
park,  nor  did  the  new  public  offices,  built  in  a  Palladiau 
style  by  a  Gothic  architect — and  naturally  tlie  dismalest 
of  failures — overhang  the  Horse  Guards  and  the  house 
of  the  First  Lord  of  the  Treasury. 

London  is  singularly  cursed  in  its  race  of  architects, 
whose  vanity  has  prevented  them  from  copying  the  finest 
building  in  England,  if  not  the  world — Somerset  House. 
In  those  days,  my  father,  who  was  a  great  admirer  of 
Sir  William  Chambers,  always  used  to  tell  me  that  I 
should  live  to  see  the  horrid  mud-banks  of  the  north 
side  of  the  Thames  changed  into  an  embankment  which 
Sir  William  Chambers  had  designed. 

We  often  went  into  the  Green  Park,  which  was,  in  my 
childhood,  surrounded  by  a  high  brick  wall,  inside  of 
which  was  a  house  belonging  to  Lady  William  Gordon. 
A  bit  of  water  was  by  the  house.  The  mound,  on  which 
a  great  sycamore  now  flourishes,  was  Lady  William  Gor- 
don's ice-house,  and  the  stags  which  were  at  the  en- 
trance were  removed  to  Albert  Gate,  where  they  now 
remain.  At  the  northeast  corner  was  a  large  reservoir, 
which  existed  till  1856 ;  and  I  can  see  now  in  my  mind's 
eye  the  marks  of  women's  pattens  in  the  muddy  tracks 
which  did  duty  for  paths  in  those  days.  A  contem- 
porary of  mine,  now  a  distinguished  man,  recollects  as 

13 


1848    LONDON'S    ARISTOCRATIC    DISTRICTS 

a  child  playing  at  lious  and  tigers  on  Constitution  Hill, 
the  oval  marks  being  considered  lions'  and  the  squarer 
marks  tigers'  tracks.  It  is  only  twenty-eight  years  ago 
since  one  of  the  gate  -  keepers  at  the  top  of  Portland 
Place  nsed  to  recount  his  experiences  as  a  game-keeper 
in  the  fields  and  coverts  which  are  now  the  beautiful 
gardens  of  Regent's  Park.  I  do  not  recollect  a  turnpike 
at  Hyde  Park  Corner,  but  it  was  1865  before  the  tolls 
were  abolished  in  Kensington  and  Bayswater,  and  tolls 
were  exacted  at  the  metropolitan  bridges  up  to  1879. 
Tattersall's  stood  till  18G5  at  the  top  of  Grosvenor  Place, 
all  of  which  has  been  rebuilt.  Belgravia  was  in  process 
of  building  when  the  Queen  came  to  the  throne  ;  Bel- 
gravia, where,  as  Lady  Morley  said :  "All  the  women 
were  brave,  and  all  the  men  modest,"  alluding  to  the 
new  habit,  which  sprang  up  in  the  fifties,  of  women  be- 
ing allowed  to  walk  alone  in  that  district.  Formerly  no 
lady  ever  went  out  unaccompanied  by  a  servant ;  young 
married  ladies  scarcely  ever  received  men  visitors,  or 
danced  except  on  rare  occasions.  Late  in  the  forties 
and  in  the  fifties  five  o'clock  teas  were  just  coming  into 
vogue,  the  old  Duchess  of  Bedford's  being,  as  I  consid- 
ered, very  dreary  festivities. 

Bavarian  peasant  girls  with  little  brooms  of  wood- 
shavings  attracted  the  children  in  the  streets  with  their 
song  of  ''Who'll  buy  a  broom?"  These  have  been  re- 
placed by  shrill-voiced  urchins,  yelling  "  Winner  !  Win- 
ner!" and  by  the  obnoxious  whistle  summoning  a  cab. 
Up  till  the  forties  the  old  hackney-coaches  with  straw 
in  the  bottom  for  the  passengers'  feet,  with  their  drivers 
clad  in  seven  -  caped  coats,  and  with  their  miserable 
jades,  still  crawled  about  the  London  streets.  The  cabs 
were  painted  yellow,  and  the  drivers  were  perched  on 
little  boxes  at  the  side  instead  of,  as  now,  at  the  back. 
These  were  not  of  long  duration,  and  were  soon  super- 

13 


RECOLLECTIONS  1832- 

seded  by  the  fonr-wbceler  and  the  hansom  cab.  Mail- 
coaches,  of  course,  were  still  rniining  to  all  places  to 
which  the  railroads  had  not  yet  penetrated.  In  1837, 
a  year  of  great  severity,  the  mails  were  carried  from  Can- 
terbury to  Dover  in  sleighs.  Omnibuses  were  few,  with 
straw  in  the  bottom.  The  lowest  fare  was  sixpence,  and 
iu  them  never  was  a  lady  seen.  Ladies  of  fashion  went 
for  a  solemn  drive  round  the  park  on  Sundays,  but  no 
lady  went  iu  a  single-horse  carriage  till  Lord  Brougham 
invented  the  carriage  which  still  bears  his  name.  The 
victoria,  the  barouche,  and  landau  appeared  later  on. 

No  lady  would  willingly  have  driven  down  St.  James's 
Street,  or  have  dreamed  of  stopping  at  a  club  door.  No 
lady  of  fashion  went  out  to  dinner  except  in  a  chariot, 
which  was  pronounced  "charrot,"  with  a  coachman  in  a 
wig  and  with  one  or  two  men-servants  in  silk  stockings. 
Indeed,  the  yellow  chariot  and  the  tall  footmen  with  long 
staves  behind  the  old  Duchess  of  Cleveland's  chariot 
are  fresh  in  the  memory  of  even  young  people,  and  must 
still  have  been  seen  by  the  present  generation  who  can 
recollect  Lady  Mildred  Beresford  Hope's  pony  carriage 
with  two  outriders. 

My  father  was  very  fond  of  taking  me  to  see  a  small 
property  he  had,  called  Horsington  Hill,  between  Harrow 
and  Greonford,  at  the  foot  of  which  there  still  lies  a 
small  church,  and  I  believe  the  smallest  parish  in  Eng- 
land, with  the  romantic  name  of  Perivalo.  I  well  recol- 
lect going  to  Ealing,  the  first  time  I  had  ever  been  in  a 
train ;  for  in  those  days  very  few  railways  existed  in 
England, 

My  uncle.  Colonel  Walpole,  was  Minister  to  Chili, 
and  in  those  days  everybody  occupying  a  diplomatic  post 
abroad  employed  as  his  agent  one  of  the  Foreign  Office 
clerks,  who  forwarded  his  letters  and  transacted  his 
business  in  this  country.     To  this  agent,  Mr.  Bidwell,  I 

14 


1848  THE    "NURSERY" 

used,  as  a  little  boy,  to  carry  my  mother's  letters  to  my 
uncle,  and  so  was  early  introduced  into  the  innermost 
arcana  of  the  "Nursery, "which  obtained  its  name  from 
the  fact  that  Spencer  Ponsonby  and  Richard  Weliesley, 
two  boys  of  about  sixteen,  were  located  there  to  per- 
form clerical  duties — of  course,  I  am  talking  of  the  old 
Foreign  Office,  which  has  long  since  disappeared. 

Now  this  ''Nursery"  was  next  door  to  the  printers, 
overlooking  Downing  Street,  and  here  was  formed  a 
sort  of  club  of  congenial  spirits — Blackburn,  Huskisson, 
Augustus  PagetjBackhouse,  Brydges  Taylor,  and  Charles 
Spring-Rice.  All  but  the  most  genial  of  them,  Spencer 
Ponsonby — now  Sir  Spencer  Ponsonby-Fane,  K.C.B. — 
have  passed  from  the  "  Nursery,"  and  from  the  school- 
room of  life,  into  the  Far  Country.  They  used  to  box, 
play  single-stick,  fives,  and  cricket,  and  the  noise  was 
put  down  to  the  printing-press  next  door. 

Smoking — a  terrible  crime  in  those  days — took  place 
there ;  and  a  pianoforte  and  glee-singing  served  to  be- 
guile the  idle  moments  between  Avork,  for  these  spirits 
could  work  as  well  as  play.  One  of  their  amusements 
was  to  dazzle  with  a  piece  of  looking-glass  some  young 
ladies  in  the  opposite  houses  ;  a  complaint  was  made, 
and  Lord  Palmerston  desired  to  know  who  the  ungallant 
young  gentlemen  were  who  cast  "reflections"  on  the 
young  ladies  in  the  vicinity. 

John  Bidwell,  the  head  of  the  Consular  Department, 
used  to  get  into  a  paroxysm  of  rage  at  the  audacity  of 
organ-grinders  who  invaded  the  privacy  of  Downing 
Street ;  but  when  they  approached,  a  shower  of  half- 
pence from  the  attics  encouraged  them  to  brave  the 
wrath  of  the  infuriated  old  gentleman  below.  Pea- 
shooting  through  a  broken  pane  of  glass  was  a  constant 
source  of  amusement  to  the  shooters,  and  of  annoyance 
to  the  tall  footmen  whose  calves  were  bombarded  while 

15 


RECOLLECTIONS  1832- 

staiiding  outside  the  door  of  the  Chancellor  of  the  Ex- 
chequer's. 

In  1846  Silencer  Ponsonby  was  sent  as  an  attache  to 
Washington,  and  on  his  return  in  the  folio.i'ing  year  he 
was  made  private  secretary  to  Lord  I'alnierston  ;  but 
even  this  position  did  not  keep  him  from  the  "  Nursery," 
which  he  found  reinforced  by  Greville,  Morier,  Maurice 
Drummond  from  the  Home  Office,  Frank  Courtenay,  the 
"singing-mouse  "  as  he  was  called,  from  the  Board  of  Con- 
trol, and  young  John  Bidwell,  who  was  the  most  riotous 
and  mischievous  of  all  the  lot.  On  one  occasion  he  was 
left  for  a  few  hours  in  charge  of  the  French  Department, 
in  the  absence  of  his  chief,  and  employed  the  vacant 
hour  by  dressing  himself  up  as  a  Choctaw  Indian,  with  a 
hearth-rug  as  his  only  covering,  a  circle  of  quill  pens 
round  his  head,  and  his  face  dotted  with  red  wafers, 
when  the  French  Ambassador  was  suddenly  announced ! 
He  was  a  great  actor  and  dancer,  and  played  the  part 
of  a  harlequin  at  one  of  the  pantomimes  during  the 
annual  cricket  meeting  at  Canterbury ;  so  great  was  his 
fame  that  he  was  bidden  to  dance  in  an  amateur  per- 
formance at  Drury  Lane  before  the  Queen.  He  said  that 
when  that  event  took  place  he  should  ask  '*for  the  head 
of  Conyngham  in  a  charger."  Now,  Couyngham  was  an 
unpopular  chief  clerk  in  the  Foreign  Office.  Mr,  Oom 
was  another,  who  was  very  popular.  During  the  cricket 
week  there  was  a  parliamentary  election,  and  the  town 
was  placarded  with  posters,  on  which  was  written  :  "For 
Oom  shall  we  vote  ?" 

These  are  only  the  tales  of  idle  moments  and  harmless 
freaks  of  the  boys  who  really  worked  hard,  and  in  the 
battle  of  life  highly  distinguished  themselves  as  men. 

To  revert  to  family  matters,  my  uncle.  Lord  Orford, 
was  a  constant  guest  of  my  father's.  He  was  very  short, 
and   I   am  accused  of  running  into  the  drawing-room 

16 


1848  LORD    OXFORD'S    LETTERS 

saying,  "  Here  is  Uncle  Orford,  and  he  liasn't  growcd  a 
bit."  lie  always  dressed  in  the  evening  in  liglit  nankeen 
pantaloons,  took  a  great  deal  of  snuff  and  a  great  deal  of 
wine,  always  ending  up  with  a  glass  half  port  and  half 
sherry.  He  was  the  author  of  several  curious  letters. 
AVhen  Lord  Hastings  told  him  he  was  going  to  keep  a 
pack  of  fox-hounds  in  Norfolk,  he  wrote  back  saying  he 
would  bet  him  ten  to  one  he  would  kill  more  foxes  in  a 
year  than  Lord  Hastings  ;  and  so  he  did,  killing  thirty- 
five  foxes  to  Lord  Hastings's  thirty-three. 

\\\  1824  Lord  Orford  was  invited  to  become  President 
of  the  Norwich  Bible  Society  ;  his  reply  was  as  follows  : 

"Sir, — I  am  surprised  and  annoyed  by  the  contents  of  your  let- 
ter. Surprised,  because  my  well-knowu  character  should  have 
exempted  me  from  such  an  application ;  and  annoyed,  because  it 
compels  me  to  have  even  this  communication  with  you. 

"I  have  long  been  addicted  to  the  gaming-table.  I  have  lately 
taken  to  the  Turf.  I  fear  I  frequently  blaspheme.  But  I  have 
never  distributed  religious  tracts.  All  this  was  known  to  you  and 
to  your  socict}'.  Notwithstanding  which  you  tliink  me  a  fit  person 
to  be  3'our  President.     God  forgive  your  hypocrisy. 

"I  would  rather  live  in  the  land  of  sinners  than  with  such 
saints." 

He  had  been  appointed  by  the  then  Conservative  gov- 
ernment Lord  High  Steward  of  Yarmouth,  but  the  next 
Liberal  government  dismissed  him  from  this  honorable 
office. 

His  letter  acknowledging  this  last  communication  is 
characteristic : 

"Gentlemen, — My  appointment  of  Lord  High  Steward  of  Yar- 
mouth by  tiie  late  government  was  received  with  pride  and  pleas- 
ure. My  dismissal  by  the  present  government  confers  almost 
equal  honor  upon 

"Your  obedient  servant, 

"Orford." 
B  17 


RECOLLECTIONS  1832- 

Bcing  a  small  man,  lie  set  great  store  on  his  physical 
prowess.  He  told  us  that  the  famous  dentist  Cartwright 
having  once  got  hold  of  the  wrong  tooth,  he  lifted  up 
his  fist  and  knocked  him  down,  but  Cartwright  stuck  to 
the  tooth  and  pulled  it  out.  On  one  occasion  he  came 
away  from  a  dinner-party  just  sufficiently  sober  to  walk 
from  one  lamp-post  to  another;  but,  unfortunately,  at 
the  end  of  the  street,  instead  of  a  lamp  there  was  only  a 
post,  over  which  he  hung  like  a  golden  fleece  till  he  was 
taken  off  in  the  morning  by  the  watch. 

His  danglitcr,  who  afterwards  married  Lord  Polling- 
ton,  startled  society  in  those  days  by  ways  and  things 
which  are  now  considered  very  commonplace  ;  while 
Lady  Dorothy,  her  younger  sister,  who  married  ]\Ir. 
Nevill,  still  lives  to  charm  and  delight  with  perennial 
youth  and  overflowing  humor  another  generation. 

One  of  my  chief  pleasures  in  New  Street  days  was 
going  witli  my  mother  up  the  river  in  a  steamboat  to 
Eichmond  to  see  her  sister.  Lady  Charlotte  Walpole  ; 
but  my  greatest  happiness  was  to  go  for  a  real  country 
holiday  to  another  sister  of  hers.  Lady  Catherine  Long, 
at  Hampton  Lodge.  This  was  my  youthful  idea  of  Par- 
adise. My  uncle,  Henry  Long,  was  ever  to  me  as  a  child 
as  he  was  to  me  as  a  man,  the  most  delightful  of  com- 
panions— politician,  man  of  the  world,  man  of  letters — 
full  of  information  concerning  natural  history  and  geol- 
ogy ;  he  fascinated  me,  and  it  was  from  him  that  I  very 
early  imbibed  liberal  ideas.  Once,  walking  over  a  corn- 
field full  of  thistles  and  weeds,  he  said:  ''That  is  the 
result  of  protection";  and  this  made  me  think  for  my- 
self and  become  a  free-trader. 

I  used  to  go  down  by  the  Portsmouth  coach,  and  also, 
alas  !  up  by  it.  One  evening  as  it  swung  along  by  the 
lodge  gate  the  guard  sang  out  ''Full  !"  but  then  saying, 
"  Oh  !  we  can  make  room  for  a  little  'un,"  crushed  the 

18 


1848  THE    PORTSMOUTH    COACH 

hopes  he  had  raised,  and  carried  me  off,  with  my  feet 
hanging  in  the  air  from  the  seat  on  the  top,  to  White 
Horse  Celhir.  Oh,  the  misery  and  cold  of  such  journeys, 
unknown  to  the  golden  youth  of  to-day  !  And  then  the 
arrival  in  the  darkened  streets,  our  rooms  gloomy  with 
the  rushlights  of  my  childhood,  which,  stuck  in  a  tin 
cylinder  perforated  with  holes,  gave  a  feeble  and  flicker- 
ing flame,  and  shed  ghostlike  shadows  on  the  ceiling, 
which  haunted  me  in  the  watches  of  the  night ;  the  tin- 
der-box and  the  flint  which  hung  fire  so  long ;  succeeded 
by  the  brimstone  match  and  the  Congreve  lucifer,  which 
lit  our  school -day  tallow -candles,  with  ever -increasing 
cotton  wicks  —  all  have  happily  passed  away  in  this 
dazzling  age  of  electric  light;  and  I  hope,  with  them, 
the  dark  passages  and  cupboards  which  were  the  real 
terrors  of  childhood. 

Soon  after  my  birth  my  father  had  completed  a  small 
house  on  the  sea-shore  at  Walmer.  The  Duke  of  Welling- 
ton, as  Lord  Warden  of  the  Cinque  Ports,  lived  at  the 
castle,  always  spent  his  autumns  there,  and  used  to 
hunt  with  the  West  Street  Harriers.  I  find  an  account 
of  a  conversation  he  had  with  my  father  in  September, 
1839: 

"September  21,  1839.— Eode  with  the  Duke  of  Welling- 
ton— said  he  thought  they  were  right  in  not  opposing  the 
Reform  Bill  in  the  House  of  Lords  ;  that  the  King  told 
him  that  Lord  Grey  had  got  a  promise  from  him  to  make 
forty  peers  ;  that  he  had  asked  the  King  to  make  sixty  ; 
and  that  if  they  had  voted  against  the  Reform  Bill,  he 
had  no  doubt  that  from  forty  to  sixty  peers  would  have 
been  made ;  by  which  a  revolution  would  have  been  sud- 
den. Now,  if  a  revolution  takes  place,  it  will  be  more 
gradual,  and  give  breathing  time." 

As  Lord  AVarden  of  the  Cinque  Ports,  the  Duke  al- 
ways wore  a  blue  coat  and  red  collar,  and  Avas,  I  suppose, 

19 


RECOLLECTIONS  1832- 

foiid  of  children,  us  he  was  so  kind  to  us.  lie  used  to 
go  every  Sunday  to  the  cluircli  at  Old  Walmer,  with  a 
great  prayer-book  or  Bible  under  his  arm;  and  I  can- 
not help  thinking  that  Thackeray  must  have  had  the 
old  Duke  in  his  mind  when  he  makes  Major  Pendennis 
say: 

"No  man  went  more  regularly  to  church  when  in  the 
country  ;  the  Duke  of  St.  David's,  whom  I  have  the  honor 
to  know,  always  sings  in  the  country,  and  let  me  tell  you 
it  has  a  doosed  fine  effect  from  the  family  pew." 

On  one  occasion  he  ran  a  race  with  me  down  the  grass 
hill  leading  to  the  castle.  I  threw  a  stone  very  near  him 
once,  and  he  asked  me  who  taught  me  to  throw  stones. 
I  said,  "My  brother  Richard,  sir."  "I  hope,"  said  he, 
"he  will  soon  teach  you  something  better  than  that." 

In  1838  the  Duke  gave  a  breakfast  at  Walmer  Castle  to 
some  royalties,  and  all  we  children  were  invited  to  it. 
lie  had  just  returned  from  Windsor,  wiiere  at  whist  he 
had  won  a  few  shillings,  the  iirst  that  had  been  coined, 
in  the  Queen's  reign.  My  sister  says:  "We  were  all 
playing  on  the  ramparts,  and  he  came  up  to  us  and  said 
to  me,  'Would  you  like  to  have  a  picture  of  the  Queen?' 
and  putting  his  hand  into  his  pocket  he  brought  out 
three  or  four  of  these  bright  new  shillings,  and  gave 
me  one;  seeing  my  sister  looking  on  very  wistfully,  he 
added,  'and  would  you  like  one  too?'  I  think  he  also 
gave  one  to  Miss  do  Ros  and  Miss  Hardinge.  I  was  very 
proud  of  my  shilling,  and  had  a  hole  bored  through  it, 
and  wore  it  round  my  neck.  In  later  years  it  was  put 
into  a  locket,  with  an  inscription  inside  telling  its  his- 
tory." 

Staying  at  a  country-house,  the  Duke  camo  down 
for  morning  prayers  with  liis  prayer-book  in  his  hand; 
"but,"  he  said,  "they  used  fancy  prayers."  Once  when 
my  parents  were  dining  with  him,  the  conversation  turned 

20 


1848       celp:buities  at  walmer 

oil  what  creatures  of  habit  we  were  ;  and  the  Duke  said 
tliat  a  Freiichmau  was  talking  on  that  subject,  and  ended 
by  saying,  "  par  exemple,  nous  nous  lavons  les  mains, 
mais  jamais  les  pieds  !"  We  were  always  supplied  by 
the  Duke  with  pears  and  figs  from  great  trees  grow- 
ing in  the  moat  of  the  castle,  which  have  continued  to 
flourish  under  the  wardenships  of  Lord  Granville,  Mr. 
Smith,  Lord  Dufferin,  and  Lord  Salisbury. 

In  1837  my  father  and  my  mother  left  me  on  going  to 
London,  and  tlie  return  chaise  brought  me  back  a  i")arcel 
of  barley-sugar  and  the  news  of  the  King's  (William  IV.) 
death.  I  had  once  seen  him  at  Richmond,  when  I  stood 
on  a  gate  and  shrieked  out,  "  Who'llray  "  (Hurrah)  "for 
the  King  and  the  Duke  of  Wellington,  for  I  always  say 
that." 

1837  was  also  the  year  of  a  great  frost,  and  our  journey 
was  delayed  until  the  road  was  cleared  ;  and  I  recollect 
that  the  snow  on  each  side  was  higher  than  the  windows 
of  the  coach  in  which  we  drove  to  London. 

Among  the  more  remarkable  peojile  who  lived,  during 
some  of  our  autumn  holidays,  at  Walmer,  were  Lord 
Mahon,  the  historian,  afterwards  Lord  Stanhope,  who 
had  the  big  house  on  the  beach  towards  Walmer  Castle  ; 
Sir  John  Campbell '  was  there  one  summer ;  and  Sir 
Henry  Hardinge,"  whom  I  well  recollect  leaving  for  In- 
dia, where  he  was  appointed  Governor-General  in  1844. 
His  son  went  with  him,  and  was  at  his  side  through  the 
first  Sikh  war,  where  Hardinge  served  under  Sir  Hugh 
Gough,  nobly  waiving  his  position  as  Governor-General. 
He  was  in  India  only  four  years,  and  later  was  Master- 
General  of  the  Ordnance,  and  Commander-in-Chief  on 
the  Duke  of  Wellington's  death. 

'  Afterwards  Lord  Campbell  and  Lord  Chancellor. 
"^  Afterwards  Governor-General  of  India  and  Commander-in-Chief. 

21 


RECOLLECTIONS  1832- 

Artliur'  w'iis  a  peppery-tempered  boy,  and  I  recollect 
his  mother,  Lady  Emily,  calling  for  him  and  his  answer- 
ing, "Oh  !  yes,  I  hear  you  ;  but  the  more  you  call  the 
more  I  won't  come."  Lord  Delawarr  was  there  one  sum- 
mer also  ;  and  my  contemporary,  Lionel  West,"  who  sub- 
sequently became  our  Ambassador  to  the  United  States. 
G.  P.  K.  James,  the  most  prolific  author  of  his  day,  also 
lived  at  Walmer,  and  when  as  a  boy  I  was  at  luncheon 
with  him,  he  addressed  me  for  the  first  time  in  my  life 
as  "Mr.  West,"  and  made  me  very  proud.  Lord  and 
Lady  Salisbury  and  their  children,  who  were  always  run- 
ning on  the  beach  without  shoes  and  stockings,  spent 
some  autumns  there.  I  also  remember  the  Queen  and 
Prince  Albert  coming  to  Walmer,  and  the  old  Duke  of 
Cambridge  taking  me  for  a  long  Avalk,  and  asking  me 
all  sorts  of  questions,  about  what  I  had  for  dinner,  and 
other  uninteresting  details. 

The  Captains  of  Deal  Castle,  Lord  Carrington  and 
Lord  Maryborough,  afterwards  Lord  i\[ornington,  were 
always  dressed  in  uniform.  Lord  Fitzroy  Somerset, 
afterwards  Lord  Raglan  (I  was  the  first  person  in  Eng- 
land who  heard  of  his  death  as  Commander-in-Chief  in 
the  Crimea,  when  I  was  in  Sir  Charles  AVood's  private 
office  at  the  Admiralty),  stayed  there  one  or  more  sum- 
mers; and  Lord  Strangford,  who  had  been  Ambassador 
in  Russia,  spent  some  time  there. 

There  Avas  a  very  irascible  but  very  pleasant  Admiral 
Vincent,  the  king  of  the  place  ;  and  an  Admiral  Lee, 
who  always  averred  that  he  heard  at  Walmer  the  guns  of 
Waterloo  on  June  18th.  He  and  his  wife.  Dame  Lee, 
were  buried  in  Walmer  church. 


'  Afterwards  Sir  Arthur  Hardinge,  Governor  of  Gibraltar,  and 

Commaiider-in-Cliief  at  Bombay. 
'^  Now  Lord  Sackville. 

23 


1848  LIFE    NEAR    LEEDS 

In  1838  I  was  taken  to  Lord  Carriiigton's  house  in 
Whitehall  Place,  and  had  a  splendid  view  of  the  Queen's 
coronation  procession.  Oddly  enough,  above  the  gold 
coaches  and  liveries  and  soldiers  and  bands  and  kings 
and  princes,  there  remains  in  my  mind  a  vivid  impres- 
sion of  a  row  between  a  drunken  sailor  and  the  police. 

In  1839  the  twopenny  postman,  who  used  to  go  his 
rounds  with  a  bell  and  a  bag  to  collect  letters,  was 
dressed  in  something  very  like  the  blue  coat  and  red 
facings  of  the  Windsor  uniform,  which  exists  to  the 
present  day  as  it  was  then.  The  system  of  franking 
jirevailed  up  to  the  institution  of  the  penny  post  in 
this  year.  I  think  that  out  of  the  small  number  of 
83,000,000  letters  then  delivered  in  the  United  King- 
dom, over  6,000,000  franks  passed  through  the  Post 
Office  ;  they  were  much  sought  after,  for  the  cost  of  post- 
age was  considerable  :  a  letter  to  Scotland  or  Ireland, 
of  one  page,  cost  about  l.s'.  od.,  and  those  who  could  best 
afford  to  pay  were  those  who  were  exempted. 

At  this  period  of  my  life  my  father  was  ajjpointed  a 
Judge  in  Bankruptcy  at  Leeds,  and  our  days  at  Walmer 
were  numbered.  We  went  to  live  at  Preston  Hall, 
about  eight  miles  from  Leeds,  near  Swillington,  which 
belonged  to  Sir  John  Lowther,  and  two  miles  fi'om 
Temple  Newsam,  the  beautiful  Elizabethan  home  of  the 
Meynell-Ingrams.  It  was  in  the  centre  of  coal-pits,  and 
while  we  were  there  a  dreadful  fire-damp  explosion  took 
place,  and  I  saw  one  of  the  poor  men  who  was  rescued, 
but  terribly  lacerated.  The  whole  life  among  tliese  peo- 
ple was  new  to  us  ;  their  language  and  expressions,  and 
their  roughness,  were  constant  sources  of  interest  to  us 
all. 

We  paid  visits  to  Mr.  Waterton,  the  great  naturalist, 
at  Walton  Hall,  near  Wakefield,  where  he  gave  for  many 
years  a  hospitable  asylum  to  all  birds  and  beasts  that 

23 


RECOLLECTIONS  1832- 

chose  to  avail  themselves  of  it,  and  never  allowed  a  trap 
to  be  set  or  a  gun  to  be  fired  on  his  property. 

As  a  boy  at  school,  Waterton  was  asked  by  one  of 
the  masters,  who  saw  his  roving  disposition  would  carry 
him  to  distant  countries,  not  to  touch  wine  or  spirits. 
Waterton  promised  awd  abstained  till  his  death.  Sydney 
Smith  said  of  him  that  he  appeared  in  early  life  to  have 
been  seized  with  an  unconquerable  aversion  from  Picca- 
dilly and  that  train  of  meteorological  questions  and  an- 
swers which  form  the  great  staple  of  polite  conversation  ; 
and  this  aversion  led  him  to  strange  adventures — which 
to  the  present  generation  are  little  known,  notwithstand- 
ing that  many  of  them  must  remain  unsurpassed  even  in 
these  days  of  ''records."  Who  else  but  he  has  ridden 
on  the  back  of  an  alligator,  using  the  forelegs  twisted  on 
its  back  as  a  bridle  ? 

''Should  it  be  asked,"  he  said,  "how  I  managed  to 
keep  my  seat,  I  would  answer,  I  hunted  some  years  with 
Lord  Darlington's  fox-hounds." 

He  caught  a  poisonous  snake  many  feet  long  by  the 
neck,  and  pressed  the  fang  with  a  bit  of  stick  to  see  the 
poison,  "  which  was  thick  and  yellow  and  looked  like 
camomile  tea"  ;  he  caught  another  venomous  big  snake 
in  the  same  way,  and  made  it  bite  itself  to  see  what 
would  happen  ;  he  dined  off  monkey  (boiled  in  cayenne 
pepper),  tortoise,  and  ant  beer,  and  once  tried  wasp 
grubs,  by  way  of  dessert  after  dinner  ;  but  his  stomach 
"was  offended  at  the  intrusion."  He  held  his  foot  un- 
der the  Niagara  Falls,  instead  of  under  a  pump,  to  cure 
a  sprain,  but  this  he  admits  was  perhaps  prompted  by 
vanity,  wishing  "  to  have  it  in  his  power  to  tell  the  world 
that  he  had  held  his  sprained  foot  under  a  fall  of  water 
which  discharges  670,255  tons  per  minute." 

To  his  bitter  disappointment,  he  could  never  induce  a 
vampire-bat  to  suck  his  blood ;  in  vain  did  he  hold  his 

24 


1848     THE    MEMBER   FOR   KN ARESBOROUGH 

great  toe  out  of  the  hammock,  it  was  never  tapped  by 
the  nocturnal  surgeon  ;  other  people's  great  toes  had  all 
the  attractions. 

To  the  end  of  his  daj^s  he  climbed  trees  ;  and  shortly 
before  his  death,  at  eighty- three,  he  ascended  one  of  the 
tallest  in  Walton. 

On  one  occasion  we  paid  a  visit  to  an  Eton  friend 
of  my  brother's,  the  son  of  Mr.  Bushfield  Ferraud,  at 
Harden  Grange,  Bingley.  He  was  member  for  Knares- 
borough,  and  spoke  of  himself  as  the  advocate  of  the 
working  classes  of  the  North  of  England,  and  denounced 
the  manufacturers  as  Whig-Radical  "  millocrats,"  whose 
tyranny,  oppression,  and  plundering,  and  not  the  Corn 
Laws,  were  causing  the  existing  distress.  He  emulated 
the  dagger  scene  of  Burke,  and  produced  in  the  House 
of  Commons  a  sample  of  shoddy,  or  what  he  called 
"  Devil's  Dust,"  and  tore  it  into  shreds,  and  made  a  sen- 
sation by  his  paraphrase  of  St.  Paul's  denunciation  of 
Christ's  enemies,  "  whose  end  is  destruction,  whose  God 
is  their  belly,  whose  glory  is  their  shame  "—applying  it 
to  the  '^'millocrats."  He  was  a  rough  man,  and  my 
brother  and  I  were  rather  startled  on  going  to  bed  to 
hear  him  say  to  his  servant,  "  As  the  Wests  are  here,  we 
won't  breakfast  until  half-past  seven  to-morrow  !" 

When  living  in  Yorkshire  we  hunted  in  a  small  way 
with  the  Bramham  Moor  Hounds,  of  which  that  prince 
of  sportsmen,  George  Lane-Fox,  was  the  master.  I  sup- 
pose that  a  more  splendid  type,  both  in  character  and 
in  appearance,  never  existed,  even  in  Yorkshire.  It  was 
said  of  him  that  he  ruled  a  somewhat  unruly  field  by  his 
quiet  sarcasm,  never  by  bad  language.  In  London  his 
well-turned-out  coach  was  familiar  to  every  one  in  Hyde 
Park ;  and  he  was  proud  of  it  and  his  team,  and  re- 
gretted the  disappearance  of  fine  "turn-outs."  In  a  let- 
ter to  a  dear  friend  he  says  : 

25 


RECOLLECTIONS  1832- 

''  I  do  not  think  anybody  in  Yorkshire  can  pull  out 
a  decent  pair  of  horses.  In  these  degenerate  days  all 
the  ladies  drive  what  they  call  'a  trap.'  The  depressed 
farmer  allows  his  daughter  to  drive  a  trap.  The  broken- 
down  land-owner  drives  a  trap.  It  makes  me  ill.  My 
idea  of  a  trap  is  a  horrid  thing  holding  a  poor  fox  or 
rabbit  fast  ;  a  terrible  implement  that  no  real  sportsman 
or  good  neighbor  ought  to  allow  to  be  used." 

In  1840  I  was  taken  to  Buckingham  Palace,  which 
then  had  no  quadrangle,  to  see  the  Queen's  marriage 
procession.  Two  things  remain  in  my  memory  :  one, 
that  the  pianoforte  was  dusty,  and  some  one  remarked 
what  bad  house  -  maids  the  Queen  had;  the  other,  the 
forest  of  umbrellas  in  the  park  when  a  shower  came  on. 

I  well  recollect  the  excitement  produced  by  the  murder 
of  Lord  William  Eussell,  in  Norfolk  Street,  by  his  valet, 
a  Swiss,  who  dej)osited  the  plate  he  had  stolen  in  the 
Hotel  Sablonniere,  in  Leicester  Square ;  and  I  have  not 
forgotten  the  horror  of  lying  awake  and  hearing  the  boys 
holloaing  out  in  the  streets,  "Last  dying  speech  and 
confession  of  Coiwossier,"  as  they  pronounced  it.  Years 
afterwards  the  Solicitor-General  told  mo  a  curious  story 
in  connection  with  this  trial.  It  appears  that  opposite 
Lord  William's  house  a  gentleman  looked  out  from  the 
window  of  a  bedroom  in  which  he  ought  not  to  have 
been,  and  saw  the  shadow  of  a  naked  man  pass  before 
the  opposite  window  -  blind.  An  attempt  was  made  to 
throw  suspicion  off  the  valet  on  a  house-breaker,  and 
this  gentleman  went  to  the  counsel,  and  asked  him  what 
he  ought  to  do,  as  to  come  forward  as  a  witness  would, 
of  course,  ruin  the  character  of  the  lady  in  whose  room 
he  was  that  night.  The  counsel  recommended  his  say- 
ing nothing  about  it,  as  long  as  no  innocent  person  was 
involved  in  the  murder  ;  but,  if  the  worst  came  to  the 
worst,  he  should  advise  him  to  give  the  lady's  maid  £10 

26 


1848  LORD    CARDIGAN'S    TRIAL 

to  admit  he  was  with  her  when  he  saw  the  shadow  !  Mr. 
Monckton  Milnes  went  to  see  Courvoisier  executed,  and 
often  afterwards  asserted  that  his  description  of  the 
horrors  of  a  public  execution  caused  it  to  be  abolished. 
This  may  have  been  so,  but  it  was  really  quite  twenty 
years  later  before  executions  took  place  in  private. 

Greenacrc's  murder  of  a  Avoman  was  horrid.  He  cut 
her  up,  and  took  away  her  head  in  a  bag.  When  he 
stepped  into  the  'bus,  the  conductor  replied  as  he  asked 
the  fare  :  "  Sixpence  a  head,  sir." 

This  and  Goode's  murder  of  his  wife  at  Roehampton, 
near  a  villa  of  Lord  Henley's,  where  we  had  been  staying, 
greatly  impressed  my  childish  imagination.  My  contem- 
poraries will  no  doubt  remember  the  rather  grewsome 
riddle  :  "  Why  did  Goode  cut  up  his  wife  ?  Because  he 
did  not  like  her  altogether." 

Years  later  came  the  dreadful  Manning  tragedy,  both 
husband  and  wife,  who  had  been  a  maid  to  the  Duchess 
of  Sutherland,  taking  part  in  the  murder  of  the  wife's 
lover.  After  she  had  attacked  him,  he  said  on  his  trial : 
"  I  then  knocked  his  brains  out  with  a  ripping  chisel, 
because  I  never  much  liked  him  !" 

In  1841  the  excitement  of  the  trial  of  Lord  Cardigan, 
by  the  Peers,  for  wounding  Captain  Tuckett  in  a  duel, 
Avas  very  great.  He  was  acquitted  on  grounds  which 
were  purely  technical,  each  Peer  standing  up  and  saying : 
"Not  guilty,  upon  my  honor." 

Sir  Frederick  Rogers,  in  1842,  tried  hard  in  the  col- 
umns of  the  Times  to  kill  duelling  by  ridicule,  and  it  was 
forbidden  in  the  army  in  1844,  but  still  lingered.  In 
1852  George  Smythe,  the  representative  of  the  Young 
England  party,  and  Colonel  Romilly  were  going  to  fight 
in  consequence  of  an  electioneering  quarrel.  When 
they  got  to  the  Weybridge  Station  there  was  only  one 
fly  to  be  had,  so  both  combatants,  thirsting   for   each 

27 


RECOLLECTIONS  1832- 

other's  blood,  and  their  seconds,  John  Fortescue  and 
Johnny  Vivian,  had  to  drive  over  in  it  to  the  chosen 
spot,  George  Smythe  sitting  on  the  box,  and  Colonel 
Romilly,  Avith  both  the  seconds,  inside.  At  the  fateful 
moment  a  pheasant  rose  out  of  a  copse,  as  in  Leech's 
famous  caricature,  and  a  pistol  went  off.  After  an  ex- 
change of  shots  the  foes  returned  as  they  came.  The 
incident  was  dealt  with  in  a  witty  article  in  the  Times, 
and  so  ridicule  at  last  did  more  than  morality  to  kill 
duelling.     Solvuntur  risu  tahtilce. 

It  was  not  long  after  this  that  there  died  at  Boulogne 
a  Frenchman  who  had  been  a  brutal  duellist,  such  as 
is  so  well  described  in  Harry  Lorrequer  at  the  time  of 
the  occupation  of  Paris.  A  quarrel  having  arisen  be- 
tween him  and  a  young  English  officer,  a  duel  d  la 
barrihre  was  arranged.  Now,  this  form  of  duel  consisted 
of  a  rope  being  drawn  between  the  two  parties,  who  were 
stationed  at  equal  distances  from  it.  At  a  given  signal, 
the  two  combatants  started  to  walk  to  the  rope,  with 
the  liberty  of  firing  whenever  it  so  suited  them.  The 
young  officer,  with  the  impetuosity  of  youth,  at  once 
fired  his  pistol,  and,  having  missed  his  man,  continued 
his  walk  up  to  the  barrier,  when  he  came  face  to  face 
with  his  opponent,  who  had  reserved  his  fire.  The 
Frenchman  put  his  hand  on  the  young  man's  heart,  and 
said,  with  a  sickening  familiarity  :  "  Brave  jeune  homme, 
ton  ccBur  ne  palpite  pas";  and,  stepping  back,  he  con- 
tinued :  "  Pauvre  jeune  homme,  je  plains  ta  mere,"  and 
shot  him  through  the  heart. 

It  was  in  1839,  shortly  after  the  People's  Charter  had 
been  first  proclaimed,  that  there  were  riots  at  Newport, 
in  Monmouthshire  ;  and  a  magistrate  named  Frost  was 
arrested,  tried,  and  sentenced  to  be  hanged,  drawn,  and 
quartered  for  riot.     His  sentence  was  commuted  to  trans- 

28 


1848  PEEL    AND    GRAHAM 

portation  for  life  to  Van  Dieineii's  Land.  He  was  par- 
doned in  185G,  and  did  not  die  till  1877. 

The  charter  which  created  such  alarm  and  conster- 
nation contained  six  points :  Universal  suffrage,  ballot, 
annual  parliaments,  pa3'ment  of  members,  abolition  of 
property  qualification,  and  equal  electoral  districts. 
How,  before  his  death,  Frost  must  have  smiled  at  the 
fears  and  alarms  the  charter  evoked,  and  ridiculed  the 
passions  that  condemned  its  advocates  to  such  terrible 
punishments! 

In  November,  1841,  Sir  Robert  Peel,  having  gained  his 
large  majority,  was  about  to  make,  at  the  Lord  Mayor's 
dinner  on  the  9th,  his  great  manifesto.  The  Queen,  who 
was  sore  at  her  loss  of  Lord  Melbourne  and  the  Whigs, 
invited  him  to  dine  on  that  night  with  her.  Sir  Robert 
came  into  Sir  James  Graham's  room  at  the  Home  Office 
and  said  :  "  You  must  now  make  the  ministerial  speech." 

Sir  James  tried  to  get  off,  but  in  vain,  and  after  Sir 
Robert  Peel  had  left  the  room  he  said:  "The  only  thing 
I  can  pray  for  is  that  the  Queen  may  be  brought  to  bed 
on  that  day."  And  his  prayer  was  heard,  the  Prince 
of  Wales  being  born  that  evening  ;  and  Peel  made  his 
speech  at  the  Guildhall. 

This  was  told  me  when  at  Netherby  in  1881,  by  Major 
Graham,  the  brother  and  secretary  of  Sir  James,  who 
afterwards  held  the  almost  sinecure  office  of  Registrar- 
General.  When  pressed  by  ladies  or  others  as  to  when  he 
went  to  his  office,  he  used  to  say,  "As  soon  after  ten  as  I 
find  it  convenient " — a  very  good  answer  for  a  sinecurist. 

This  was  not  the  only  occasion  on  which  Peel  meant 
to  put  Graham  in  his  place,  for  there  was  another  Guild- 
hall dinner  when  Peel  would  naturally  have  had  to  pro- 
pose the  health  of  the  Lord  Mayor.  Now  the  Lord 
Mayor  had  been  unpleasantly  mixed  up  in  some  ques- 
tionable transactions  connected  with  parochial  accounts, 

29 


RECOLLECTIONS  1832- 

so  Sir  James  Graham  was  made  spokesman,  and  got  out 
of  his  difficulty  very  cleverly.  In  his  toast  proposing  the 
health  of  the  Lord  Mayor  he  slightly  alluded  to  the  ru- 
mor; ''but,"  he  added,  "the  man  that  the  City  thinks 
worthy  cannot  be  unworthy." 

In  Peel's  administration  Goulburn  was  Chancellor  of 
the  Exchequer,  and  Peel  himself  had  occupied  that  posi- 
tion in  his  former  government;  yet  they  both  fell  into 
this  extraordinary  fiiumcial  blunder :  they  had  reimposed 
the  income  tax  for  1842,  and  had  reckoned  on  a  produce 
of  £3,700,000,  which  anticipation  resulted  in  a  heavy 
deficit  of  £1,243,712.  Peel,  being  of  a  cautious  and  sus- 
picious nature,  had  not  thought  fit  to  consult  his  Inland 
Kevenue  authorities,  and  had  reckoned  on  the  Avhole  of 
the  estimated  produce  of  the  year  being  collected  in  the 
financial  year,  thus  verifying  a  constant  saying  of  Mr. 
Gladstone's,  that  suspicion  was  the  crying  fault  of  all 
politicians. 

Peel  was  by  nature  cold  and  reserved,  but  he  was  a 
parliamentary  tactician  and  master  of  the  House  of  Com- 
mons, endowed  with  high  principles  but  little  imagina- 
tion. Joseph  Hume  was  an  excellent  and  persevei'ing 
economist,  who  was  always  worrying  him  on  this  ques- 
tion, and  coming  one  evening  into  the  library  of  the 
House  of  Commons,  he  said  :  "I  shall  make  a  speaker  of 
that  fellow  Peel  yet." 

In  1834,  when  the  Duke  of  Wellington  held  all  the 
great  offices  of  the  State  till  Peel's  return,  Mr.  Hudson' 
was  intrusted  with  the  task  of  finding  his  whereabouts. 
Anxious  to  distinguish  himself,  he  rested  neither  day  nor 
night  till  he  found  him  in  Rome  and  delivered  the  King's 
letter.     Weary  and  travel -stained,  after  many  days  of 

'Afterwards  Sir  Jiuiies  Hudson,  G.C.B.,  Biitisli  Ambassador  in 
Italy. 

30 


1848  ETON    CONTEMPORARIES 

posting,  he  presented  himself  to  Peel,  who  took  the  let- 
ter, and,  without  a  word  of  thanks,  said :  "  You  might 
have  done  the  journey  in  a  day  less  I" 

Disraeli  said:  ''The  hurried  Mr,  Hudson  rushed  into 
the  chambers  of  the  Vatican,"  from  which  he  was  after- 
wards nicknamed  Hurry  Hudson. 

In  1841  Punch  came  into  existence  —  I  think  it  was 
commonly  spoken  of  at  that  time  as  the  Charivari — 
and  published  in  1843  Hood's  "Song  of  the  Shirt," 
which  caused  many  tears  to  flow,  and  called  attention  to 
the  horrors  endured  by  the  poor  seamstresses. 

In  1843  I  went  to  Eton,  to  the  same  house  and  the 
same  room  that  my  two  elder  brothers  had  occupied  be- 
fore me.  I  see  it  now,  at  the  top  of  the  house,  with  a 
sanded  floor  and  a  shut-up  bedstead,  and  no  tub,  for 
washing  in  the  winter  was  then  unknown  ;  in  the  sum- 
mer we  bathed  in  the  river.  My  brother  Richard  won  all 
the  prizes  for  ''headers."  My  Dame  was  Mrs.  Angelo,  an 
old,  painted  lady  with  a  reputation  somewhat  tarnished, 
but  tarnished  so  long  ago  that  she  was  forgiven,  and  she 
was  in  charge  of  a  house  of  from  fifteen  to  twenty  boys  ! 
My  tutor  was  Edward  Pickering,  of  cricketing  renown, 
who  took  more  interest  in  the  game,  I  think,  than  in 
Latin  verse.  The  great  public  school  matches  at  Lord's, 
where  the  Winchester  men,  as  they  always  called  them- 
selves, wore  tall  white  hats,  were  attended  by  the  masters 
and  old  boys  and  only  those  who  were  really  interested  in 
the  game.  But  I  am  not  going  to  recall  my  school-boy 
experiences,  Avhicli  have  been  already  told  by  my  old 
friend  and  mess-mate,  Arthur  Blackwood,'  in  his  Life, 
and  certainly  do  not  need   repetition.     In  those  days 


'  Afterwards  in  the  Treasurj' ;  served  in  the  Commissariat  through 
the  Crimean  campaign,  and  was  Financial  Secretary  to  the  Post 
Office  till  1894,  when  he  died  as  Sir  Arthur  Blackwood,  K.C.B. 

31 


RECOLLECTIONS  1832- 

thero  was  an  almost  entire  neglect  of  any  kind  of  educa- 
tion beyond  a  very  superficial  smattering  of  Latin  and 
Greek.  I  was  placed,  at  eleven  years  old,  in  the  lower 
division  of  the  fourth  form,  took  part  in  the  last  "  Mon- 
tem,"  and  progressed  by  gravitation  to  the  upper  divi- 
sion of  the  fifth  form  in  1849,  when  I  was  captain  of 
my  house,  and  rowed  eight  in  the  Monarch  and  had  a 
good  time  till  election,  when  I  left.  I  believe  I  was  the 
first  occupant  of  the  new  sanatorium,  where  I  spent  some 
dreary  weeks  with  scarlet  fever,  my  dear  mother  coming 
down  to  nurse  me. 

Among  the  boys  of  my  time,  four  have  since  obtained 
Cabinet  offices.  Lords  Salisbury  and  Carnarvon,  Mr. 
Warde  Hunt,  and  Mr.  George  Lefevre.  Arthur  Peel, 
who  then  stood  in  the  Eton  list  as  undecimus,  was  sub- 
sequently Speaker  of  the  House  of  Commons  and  the 
first  Commoner  of  England.  Chitty,  who  was  captain  of 
the  eleven  at  Eton  and  Oxford,  where  he  was  also  cap- 
tain of  the  eight,  became  the  well-known  Lord  Justice. 

Bent,  the  respected  Vicar  of  Woolwich,  was  a  contem- 
porary of  mine.  On  leaving  college  he  became  a  poorly 
paid  curate.  Somebody,  coming  up  to  him  in  the  street, 
said:  "I  believe  you  are  the  incumbent."  "No/' he  re- 
plied, ''I  am  Bent  without  the  income." 

Our  great  scholar,  Lord  Lothian,  died  early.  Lord 
Koberts  was  with  us  a  short  time,  and  George  Wombwell, 
one  of  the  Balaclava  heroes,  still  flourishes.  Poor  Ad- 
miral Sir  George  Tryon,  who  was  lost  in  the  Victoria,  was 
at  my  Dame's  house,  where  we  had  a  short  and  brilliant 
fight;  and  in  my  later  life  I  always  congratulated  myself 
on  being  his  friend  and  not  his  enemy.  Bill  Thompson, 
who  was  captain  of  the  boats,  was  afterwards  Lieutenant- 
Governor  of  Bengal  ;  Sir  Alfred  Lyall  has  distinguished 
liimself  highly  as  an  administrator,  a  councillor,  and  a 
poet.     Sir  John  Lubbock  was  our  man  of  science;  Alger- 

32 


1848  ETON    V.    EDUCATION 

non  Swinburne  our  poet;  and  Henry  Labonchere  our 
journalist. 

My  contemporaries  and  I  captured  the  Civil  Service  by 
storm  ;  for,  at  the  time  when  I  was  Chairman  of  the 
Board  of  Inland  Kevenue,  Sir  R.  Welby'  was  Secretary 
to  the  Treasury ;  Eobert  Herbert/  Under-Secretary  for 
the  Colonies ;  Rivers  Wilson,'  Comptroller  of  the  National 
Debt;  Charles  Fremantle,*  Deputy-Master  of  the  Mint; 
Arthur  Blackw^ood,'  Secretary  to  the  Post  Office;  Charles 
Ryan/  Auditor-General  of  the  Exchequer;  Whymper' 
was  Head  Inspector  of  Factories  ;  Bertie  Mitford/ Secre- 
tary to  the  Board  of  Works;  and  Philip  Currie/  Under- 
Secretary  for  Foreign  Affairs.  As  Lowe  said,  it  was  a 
case  of  Eton  v.  Education,  and  Eton  always  won. 

In  1846,  as  an  Eton  boy,  I  went  with  my  friend  Robert 
Henley '"  to  the  coming  of  age  of  his  brother  at  Watford 
in  Northamptonshire.  The  party  consisted  of  Ogilvy 
(afterwards  Lord  Airlie),  Wodehouse  (afterwards  Lord 
Kimberley),  Dodson  (afterwards  Lord  Monk-Bretton), 
my  elder  brother  Henry,  Sir  David  Dundas  (who  became 
Solicitor-General),  and  a  man  well  known  in  London  as 
"Johnnie  Rochford,"  who  proved  himself  a  great  actor. 
One  day  it  was  announced  that  he  had  been  suddenly 
summoned  to  London ;  and  it  must  be  remembered  that 
those  were  not  the  days  of  telegrams  which  now  so  con- 
veniently call  away  guests  who  have  had  all  the  shoot- 


'  Now  Lord  Welby,  G.C.B. 

*  Now  Sir  Robert  Herbert,  G.C.B. 

^  Now  Sir  Rivers  Wilson,  C.B.,  K.C.M.G. 

*  Now  Hon.  Sir  Cliarles  Fremantle,  K.C.B. 

'  Sir  Arthur  Blackwood,  K.C.B. ,  since  dead. 

*  Now  Sir  Charles  Ryan,  K.C.B. 

'Since  dead.  "LateM.P. 

*  Now  Lord  Carrie,  K.C.B.,  P.C,  Ambassador  at  Rome. 
'°  Now  Vicar  of  Putney. 

c  33 


RECOLLECTIONS  1832- 

ing  they  can  get.     It  was  said  that  a  Monsieur was 

expected  for  dinner,  at  which  he  ajjpeared,  and,  with 
only  a  change  in  the  way  he  arranged  his  clothes  and  his 
hair,  played  his  part  without  discovery  through  the  en- 
tire evening. 

Sir  David  Dundas,  who  doubtless  knew  Voltaire's 
axiom,  "Le  cafe  doit  etre  noir  comme  le  diable,  pur 
comme  une  vierge,  chaud  comme  I'enfer,"  said  to  his 
hostess.  Lady  Henley  :  "  Good-bye,  madam  ;  your  coffee 
was  excellent " — and  she  was  doubtful  as  to  whether  it 
was  a  compliment  or  the  reverse.  There  were  otliers  of 
the  party  that  I  forget ;  but  among  them  was  Mr.  Eden, 
the  Rector  of  Battersea,  who  subsequently  became  Lord 
Auckland  and  Bishop  of  Sodor  and  Man.  Five  of  the 
party  became  members  of  the  House  of  Commons.  Lord 
Kimberley,  as  Ambassador  to  St.  Petersburg,  Secretary 
of  State  for  the  Colonies,  India,  and  Foreign  Office,  at- 
tained great  distinction.  Dodson,  who  was  always  called 
''Fogg,"  in  allusion  to  the  solicitors  in  Pichwick  Papers, 
Messrs.  Dodson  &  Fogg,  became  Secretary  to  the  Treas- 
ury, President  of  the  Local  Government  Board,  Chairman 
of  Ways  and  Means,  and  Deputy-Speaker  of  the  House  of 
Commons.  He  was  a  man  whose  abilities,  after  leaving 
Oxford,  where  he  had  distiuguished  himself,  did  not  ap- 
pear on  the  surface,  and  many  people  were  puzzled  at 
the  success  he  attained.  Indeed,  through  life  I  have 
often  wondered  at  the  success  of  some  men  whose  quali- 
fications did  not  seem  to  justify  it ;  but  that  must  arise 
from  my  own  stupidity,  for,  notwithstanding  Sir  George 
Cornewall  Lewis's  cynical  saying  that  every  man  was  able 
adequately  to  perform  the  duties  of  an  office  wliicli  he 
was  clever  enough  to  get,  it  is  impossible  tliat  any  one 
really  can  be  successful  without  some  ability.  There  are 
statesmen  in  my  mind  who  never  appeared  to  me  to  have 
any  peculiar  or  extraordinary   cleverness,  neither   were 

34 


1848      FLIGHT    OF    LOUIS    PHILIPPE 

they  the  representatives  of  any  interest ;  they  were  no 
speakers,  and  were  poor,  and  yet  they  held  in  ray  time 
every  high  office  in  the  State  :  Secretaries  for  War,  First 
Lords  of  the  Admiralty,  Chancellors  of  the  Duchy  of 
Lancaster,  Secretaries  of  State  for  the  Home  Depart- 
ment, and  Chancellors  of  the  Exchequer — all  Cabinet 
offices.  Imagine  somebody  fifty  years  hence  wandering 
into  a  country  church-yard,  and  seeing  such  a  record  on 
a  gravestone,  and  his  astonishmentat  never  having  heard 
of  a  man  who  filled  more  high  offices  than  a  Walpole,  a 
Pitt,  or  a  Gladstone  ! — but  these  are  the  mysteries  of  the 
British  Constitution  and  parliamentary  life. 

I  shall  never  forget  the  Confirmation  at  Eton  held  by 
Wilberforce,  nor  the  solemnity  with  which  he  invested  it. 
It  was  the  first  time,  I  think,  that  I  had  ever  been  im- 
pressed in  the  chapel,  for  our  fate  was  to  hear  the  drear- 
iest utterances  —  of  superannuated  Fellows,  who  only 
supplied  food  for  our  boyish  merriment. 

Mr.  Gladstone  once  told  me  that  he  only  remembered 
two  sermons  that  made  any  impression  on  him  when  he 
was  a  boy  at  Eton :  one  of  them  was  when  the  Vice- 
Chancellor,  in  1826,  delivered  a  strong  denunciation  of 
Roman  Catholic  Emancipation,  and  the  other  I  have  for- 
gotten. 

I  remember,  in  1848,  the  news  coming  to  Eton  of  the 
French  Revolution  and  the  flight  of  Louis  Philippe,  and 
his  arrival  here  as  Mr.  Smith.  On  the  journey  the  poor 
ex-Queen  was  constantly  praying ;  the  king,  fearing  it 
would  be  noticed,  said,  ''  Mrs.  Smith,  en  France  on  ne 
prie  pas  tant  en  voyage."  Our  holidays  were  delayed  a 
day  to  avoid  the  abortive  Chartist  meeting  on  April  10th 
in  that  year.  I  travelled  down  with  Robert  Henley  to 
my  father's  place,  Preston  Hall,  near  Leeds,  the  next 
day,  and  took  home  the  news  of  what  had  happened. 
It  seems  to  me  so  odd,  writing  in  these  days  of  tele- 

35 


RECOLLECTIONS  1832-1848 

graphs,  that  they  should  not  have  known  all  about  it 
sooner  ;  but  I  recollect  my  mother  telling  me  that,  liv- 
ing at  her  father's  home  at  Wolterton,  in  Norfolk,  the 
first  news  of  the  battle  of  Waterloo  v/as  brought  by  her 
brother,  Colonel  Walpole,  who  had  been  wounded  at 
Quatre  Bras ! 


CHAPTER  II 

1848-1851 

Visit  to  Belgium  and  Paris— The  President  and  tlie  Garter— Sir 
Robert  Peel's  Accident  and  Deatli  —  I  Migrate  from  King's 
College,  London,  to  Clirist  Churcli,  Oxford —  Osborne  Gordon 
and  his  Pupils  —  I  Accept  Alfred  Montgomery's  Offer  of  a 
Clerkship  in  the  Income-tax  OflSce  in  April,  1851— Disraeli  and 
Monckton  Milnes— Duties  in  the  Inland-revenue  Office — Trans- 
fer to  the  Admiralty— Sir  James  Graham— Bernal  Osborne's  Ex- 
amination—Sir  William  Hayter's  "Idiots"— Frederick  Locker  and 
the  Cliief  Clerk— The  Reign  of  the  Dandies— Harry  and  William 
Keppel— Henry  Calcraft— Society  in  the  Early  Fifties— Almack's 
and  the  Cocoa- tree  Club  — Fashions  and  Feeding  — Breakfasts 
and  Smoking— The  Decline  of  Drinking — The  Misses  Berry's 
Salon  — Lansdowne  House  — Lady  Ashburton's  Humor  — Sir 
James  and  Lady  Graham  — Mrs.  Norton  — Lady  Palmerston's 
Parties— Abraham  Hayward  and  the  Wits— Sir  George  Corne- 
wall  Lewis  and  Maurice  Drummond— The  Exhibition  of  1851— 
A  Trip  to  Paris— Thackeray's  Lectures— The  Italian  Opera  in 
its  Prime — Sergeant  Murphy's  Stories — Lord  Broughton,  Albert 
Smith,  Mr.  Brookfield,  and  Thackeray. 

NothixCt  definite  having  been  settled  about  my  future 
career,  I  went  abroad  in  the  autumn  with  my  father  and 
mother,  my  brother  Richard  and  my  two  sisters,  to  Spa, 
in  Belgium.  On  our  return  through  Paris  we  were  in- 
vited to  the  Elysee  by  the  President,  who  had  known  my 
mother  and  sisters  when  staying  at  Wynyard ;  he  asked 
me  whether  I  was  going  into  the  Army  "or  to  Church." 
He  pressed  my  sisters  to  stay  for  a  ball,  and  on  their  de- 
clining, he  said,  "In  this  land  of  Equality,  Fraternity, 

37 


RECOLLECTIONS  1848- 

and  Libert)',  I  can  send  soldiers  to  keep  you."  My  eld- 
est sister's  farewell  must  be  reckoned  as  one  of  those 
things  one  would  rather  not  have  said — "I  hope  we 
shall  soon  see  you  in  England  again";  but  he  did  come 
in  glory  to  receive  tlie  Garter  from  the  Queen,  after  his 
marriage  in  1853  with  Mile.  Montijo,  Comtesse  de  Teba. 
It  was  said  that  he  wrote  to  her  Majesty,  "  J'ai  ten  has, 
donne-moi  ta  jarretiere."  My  wife  saw  him  received  at 
Windsor  by  the  Queen,  and  ''never,"  she  said,  ''  shall  I 
forget  the  triumphant  expression  of  his  usually  imper- 
turbable face  when  the  Queen  invested  him  with  the 
Garter."  She  also  saw,  at  a  great  party  at  Windsor,  Ed- 
gar Ney,  who  was  one  of  the  Emperor's  brilliant  suite, 
deliberately  turn  his  back  on  the  Duke  of  Wellington, 
recollecting  the  old  Duke's  conduct  to  his  father,  the 
Marshal.  At  one  of  the  investitures  of  many  she  saw, 
she  was  struck  by  seeing  in  St.  George's  Hall  the  Duke 
of  Wellington  and  Lord  Anglesey  writing  at  the  same 
table. 

As  I  had  taken  a  fancy  to  go  "to  Church,"  it  was 
now  decided  that  I  must  take  a  degree ;  so  I  stayed  with 
my  Ibrother  Richard  in  lodgings  in  Down  Street,  to  at- 
tend some  lectures  at  King's  College,  where  I  learned 
nothing,  but  made  some  very  third-rate  acquaintances. 

In  1850  London  was  full  of  anticipation  of  the  World's 
Exhibition,  which  was  to  be  held  the  following  year  in 
Hyde  Park.  It  was  the  fine  idea  of  Prince  Albert,  and 
lie  had  appointed  a  committee  to  assist  him  in  its  man- 
agement. 

It  was  as  Sir  Robert  Peel  was  riding  in  St.  James's 
Park  to  a  meeting  of  this  committee  that  he  fell  from 
his  horse  and  was  seriously  hurt.  It  was  at  a  ball  at 
Lady  Carrington's  that  I  heard  how  dangerously  ill  he 
was.  I  was  rather  shocked  at  a  ball  going  on  so  near 
where  Peel  lay  dying  in  Whitehall  Gardens ;  but  not- 

38 


1851       SIR    ROBERT    PEEL'S    DEATH 

withstanding  I  stayed  till  five  o'clock,  and  left  just  as 
the  strains  of  the  cotillon  began.  On  July  2d,  in  the 
evening,  he  died.  On  his  death,  Mr.  Gladstone  quoted 
these  fine  lines  : 

"Now  is  the  stately  column  broke, 
The  beacon-light  is  quenched  in  smoke, 
The  trumpet's  silvery  sound  is  still, 
The  warder  silent  on  the  hill." 

It  was  commonly  reported  that  his  horse  stumbled,  and 
he,  being  a  bad  horseman,  fell.  This  is  the  story  I  heard 
from  my  old  friend  Sir  William  Stephenson,  who  is  an 
undoubted  authority  : 

Mr.  Beckett  Denison  (Lord  Grimthorpe's  father),  who 
was  a  fine  rider,  saw  the  horse  at  Tattersall's,  bought  it, 
rode  it  for  three  weeks,  and  finding  that  it  was  quite 
quiet,  and  knowing  that  Sir  Robert  was  looking  for  a 
horse,  advised  him  to  buy  it.  Sir  Robert's  coachman  very 
soon  found  out  that  it  was  not  quiet,  and  advised  Sir 
Robert  not  to  ride  it  ;  but  he  considered  Mr.  Denison 
must  know  best.  Mr.  Townley,  who  was  riding  behind 
Sir  Robert  when  he  was  thrown,  told  Sir  William  that 
hardly  any  one  could  have  sat  the  fearfully  sudden  buck 
the  animal  made  on  being  passed  by  another  horse.  It 
was  found  out  afterwards  that  Sir  Henry  Peyton,  one 
of  the  finest  riders  of  the  day,  had  sold  the  horse  as  he 
couldn't  ride  it,  and  it  was  bought  by  a  friend  of  Sir 
William's  subsequently,  who  found  the  same. 

Sir  Robert  might  possibly  have  been  saved  had  he 
allowed  the  doctors  to  examine  him,  but  he  could  not 
bear  to  be  touched.  He  had  told  Sir  William,  who  had 
been  his  secretary  when  he  was  Prime  Minister,  that  if 
any  accident  ever  happened  to  him,  he  knew  that  he 
would  not  be   able  to  bear  to   be  touched,  his  nerves 

were  so  acute. 

39 


RECOLLECTIONS  1848- 

Tlie  public  had  not  realized  the  danger  he  was  in.  Sir 
James  Graham  and  Lord  Ilardinge  were  the  only  friends 
he  had  seen  on  his  death-bed.  The  world  mourned  for 
him,  and  associated,  and  will  alwa3's  associate,  his  name 
Avith  free-trade,  though  he  himself  gave  Kichard  Cob- 
den  the  credit.  He  would  accept  no  honors  and  refused 
the  Garter.  He  left  five  sons,  four  of  whom  were  subse- 
quently the  bearers  of  titles.  8ir  Robert,  the  eldest,  was 
a  G.C.B.;  Sir  William,  the  sailor,  was  a  K.C.B. ;  Sir 
Frederick  was  a  K.C.M.G.  ;  and  the  youngest,  Arthur, 
the  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Commons,  became  V^iscount 
Peel. 

It  was  of  a  relative  of  Sir  Robert  Peel's,  a  ^Ir.  Peel 
who  once  stood  for  Accrington,  that  the  following  anec- 
dote is  told.  He  was  not  much  of  a  speaker,  but  his 
friends  persuaded  him  to  say  a  few  words,  which  he  did 
in  this  fashion  :  "Men  of  Accrington,  if  you  are  so  back- 
ward in  coming  forward,  you'll  be  left  behind  as  yon 
were  before.'^ 

After  my  short  dip  into  London  life,  I  went  to  Oxford. 
On  the  night  of  my  arrival  at  Christ  Church  for  my 
matriculation,  which  Dr.  Thompson,  of  Trinity,  said  was 
an  impious  attempt  to  fathom  the  depth  of  human  igno- 
rance, I  played  a  rubber  of  whist  in  some  room  in  Peck- 
water  with  Lord  Robert  Cecil  (afterwards  Lord  Salis- 
bury) and  Mr.  Wurde  Hunt  (afterwards  Chancellor  of 
the  Exchequer  in  Lord  Beaconsfield's  government),  who 
was  always  called  '^  Mother  Hunt.''  I  cannot  remem- 
ber who  was  our  fourth  partner  ;  but  I  know  that  it  was 
remarked  that  we  averaged  six  feet  three  inches. 

I  soon  renewed  my  old  Eton  friendships  and  messed 
with  my  boating  friends,  a  little  regretting  that  I  had 
not  adopted  cricket  instead  of  rowing,  as  alfordiiig  many 
more  opportunities  of  amusement  in  after-life.  At  Eton 
our  aquatic  eleven  had  been  very  good  and  we  had  de- 

40 


1851  OSBORNE    GORDON 

feated  the  second  eleven  ;  and  I  shall  never  forget  the 
day  when  I  was  sent  for  to  the  upper  club  to  be  tried 
for  the  school  eleven,  but  was  not  taken. 

Osborne  Gordon  was  my  tutor,  a  great  scholar,  a  double 
first-class  man,  but  Avith  an  overpowering  love  for  a  lord. 
Oddly  enough,  I  met  him  years  after,  in  1881,  when  Vicar 
of  East  Hampstead;  he  still  was  true  to  his  first  love, 
and  had  never  learned  to  put  an  "H"  in  the  right  place. 
Kirkman  Hodgson  used  to  tell  of  a  lecture  by  Roebuck 
to  his  constituents  at  Sheffield,  where  his  colleague,  Mr. 
Hadfield,  was  present.  Roebuck  said  :  ''  If  a  man  drops 
an  H,  from  that  moment  he  loses  his  position  in  English 
society."     '"Ear,  ^ear,  'ear,"  said  Mr.  Hadfield, 

Our  lecture  consisted  of  Lords  Lothian  and  Dalkeith, 
tufts;  Lucy,  of  Charlecote,  a  gentleman  commoner;  my- 
self, a  Westminster  student,  and  two  servitors.  Osborne 
Gordon's  manner  of  greeting  us  was  in  exact  mathemati- 
cal proportion  to  our  relative  positions  : 

'"Appy  to  see  you.  Lord  Dalkeith.  'Aven't  'ad  the 
pleasure  of  seeing  your  lordship  lately — been  'unting,  I 
suppose." 

"  Won't  you  sit  'ere,  Lord  Lothian  ?" 

"  Good-morning,  Mr.  Lucy.     Where  will  you  sit  ?" 

"Good-morning  (grumpily),  West."  And  not  even  a 
grunt  to  the  scholar  or  the  two  poor  servitors. 

Lothian  was  very  clever  and  industrious  and  singu- 
larly modest,  oft'ering  to  bet  me  that  he  would  not  pass 
his  Little-go.  Poor  fellow  !  he  took  a  double  first,  but 
died  soon  after.  Carnarvon,  of  Home  -  rule  fame,  was 
there  also,  and  Sandon,  afterwards  Lord  Harrowby.  At 
the  time  of  the  Egyptian  revolt  of  Arabi,  a  traveller  in 
Staffordshire  told  his  driver  that  Arabi  was  taken  pris- 
oner. ''  Poor  old  gentleman,"  he  said;  "and  him  hav- 
ing lived  so  respectable-like  all  his  life,"  thinking  it  was 
Lord  Harrowby. 

41 


RECOLLECTIONS  1848- 

Besides  all  my  old  Etou  friends,  who  were  many,  I  saw 
much  of  Herbert  Murray,  of  Eaglan,  Somerset ;  and  on 
Sundays  I  was  very  fond  of  dining  late  at  New  College 
with  an  old  Eton  friend,  Tom  Talfourd,  a  son  of  the 
judge  and  author  of  Ion,  to  hear  the  music  afterwards 
in  the  chapel.  I  only  remained  at  Christ  Church  for 
two  terms,  when  I  gave  up  all  intention  of  taking  Or- 
ders, and  went*  for  a  short  time  to  York,  where  my 
father  then  had  a  house,  and  where  I  witnessed  the 
great  race  between  The  Flying  Dutchman  and  Voltigeur, 
and  gained  my  first  bitter  experience  of  the  honesty  of 
the  ring,  for  I  won  £10  whicli  was  never  paid  to  me.  I 
recollect  a  curious  bet  I  had  at  Eton  with  my  fagging 
master;  he  offered  me  ten  to  one  against  Pyrrhus  L 
To  get  over  my  scruples,  he  said  he  would  do  me  a  copy 
of  verses  and  excuse  me  fagging  for  a  week  ;  to  these  in- 
ducements I  yielded,  and  Pyrrhus  I.  won. 

About  the  end  of  April,  1851,  Alfred  Montgomery,  a 
Commissioner  of  Inland  Kevcnue,  offered  me  a  small  ap- 
pointment in  the  Income-tax  Ollice  at  Somerset  House, 
which  I  gladly  accepted.  I  had  first  made  his  acquaint- 
ance in  1840,  when  he  was  a  great  friend  of  my  sister's. 
I  lived  to  be  his  colleague  on  the  Board  of  Inland  Eev- 
enue,  thirty  )^ears  afterwards,  where  I  found  him  as  kind, 
as  genial  and  witty  as  he  had  been  from  the  first.  My 
boyish  imagination  Avas  filled  with  the  glories  of  this 
charming  dandy,  whether  at  late  breakfast  at  Kingston 
House  (where  Lord  Wellesley  was  then  living),  when  he 
was  arrayed  in  brocaded  silk  dressing-gown  and  faultless 
linen,  or  in  his  cab  with  his  high  -  stepping  horse  and 
little  tiger,  or  at  the  theatre,  where  he  often  took  me  in 
my  boyhood. 

In  those  days  there  was  a  "public"  called  tiie  "Half- 
way House,"  just  opposite  Kingston  House,  where  all 
the  market  carts  on  their  way  from  Covent  Garden  used 

42 


1851  DISRAELI 

to  be  drawn  up  to  bait.  A  curious  story  attaches  to  it. 
As  the  Lord  Chief  Justice,  Lord  EUenborough,  was  rid- 
ing in  Kotten  Row,  news  was  brought  to  him  of  the 
death  of  his  chief  clerk,  who  held  a  great  sinecure  office 
of  several  thousands  a  j^ear.  He  immediately  dismount- 
ed, and  cautiously  walking  to  the  ''Half-way  House," 
borrowed  a  sheet  of  paper  and  made  out  the  appoint- 
ment of  his  sou,  who  held  this  great  salary  for  many 
years. 

I  can  only  just  recollect  a  vision  of  the  famous  Count 
d'Orsay  and  Napoleon  when  still  in  London  ;  and,  oddly 
enough,  looking  back  at  Eton — where  I  was  a  member 
of  the  debating  society  called  "  Pop." — I  cannot  recol- 
lect ever  having  heard  the  name  of  Disraeli,  and  yet  in 
1846  he  had  written  most  of  his  famous  novels  ;  he  had 
already  passed  through  ten  sessions  of  Parliament,  and 
his  dress  was  an  ostentatious  affectation,  enough  alone 
to  have  made  him  notorious.  He  wore  a  slate-colored 
velvet  coat  lined  with  satin,  purple  trousers  with  a  gold 
band  down  the  outside  seam,  a  scarlet  waistcoat,  long 
lace  ruffles  falling  down  to  the  tips  of  his  fingers,  white 
gloves  with  brilliant  rings  outside  them,  and  long  black 
ringlets  rippling  down  over  his  shoulders  ;  and  when  he 
rose  in  the  House  he  wore  a  bottle-green  frock-coat,  with 
a  white  waistcoat,  collarless,  and  a  needless  display  of 
gold  chains.  I  never  heard  at  the  time  of  the  shouts  of 
ridicule  with  which  his  first  speech  had  been  received,  or 
his  self-confident  prophecy,  copied  from  O'Connell,  that 
the  day  would  come  when  they  shoiild  hear  him.  It  is 
not  well  known  by  this  generation  that  within  a  few 
days  he  was  followed  by  Monckton  Milnes  in  a  brilliant 
speech,  which  was  praised  on  all  sides.  The  successful 
speaker  became  a  poet  and  a  pleasant  member  of  society, 
but  received  no  higher  office  than  that  of  Junior  Lord  of 
the  Treasury,  when  Lord  Palmerston  in  his  cleverest 

43 


RECOLLECTIONS  1848- 

vein  asked  him  to  join  him  on  the  Board,  while  the  man 
who  failed  became  the  idol  of  the  people,  and  twice 
Prime  Minister  of  England. 

In  1851  1  entered  the  Inland-revenue  department  as  a 
temporary  clerk,  at  6s.  a  day,  and  I  know  of  no  prouder 
hour  tlian  that  in  which  I  received  my  first  cash  payment 
at  the  end  of  the  quarter.  My  duties  were  strictly  cleri- 
cal and  drearily  monotonous — so  many  forms  to  fill  up 
each  day,  and  that  was  all;  it  was,  therefore,  with  great 
pleasure  that,  after  about  a  year  of  this  probationary 
work,  I  was  summoned  to  the  alarming  and  splendid 
presence  of  Sir  James  Graham,  who  was  the  First  Lord 
of  the  Admiralty,  and  was  offered  a  clerkship  on  that 
establishment. 

I  was  much  troubled,  for  when  my  interview  took  place 
I  was  wearing  a  coat  which  I  thought  must  be,  or  might 
be,  considered  a  little  loud,  and  I  regretted  that  time  was 
not  given  to  me  to  change  it.  My  friend  and  contem- 
porary. Lord  Welby,  was  told,  when  he  entered  the  Treas- 
ury, by  Mr.  D wight,  a  colleague  of  his,  that  he  remem- 
bered the  day  that  Mr.  Alcock,  his  chief,  a  high  officer  in 
the  Treasury,  was  sent  for  by  the  great  Mr.  Pitt,  but 
dared  not  obey  the  summons  because  he  had  not  got  on 
his  breeches  and  buckles.  However,  Sir  James  Graham 
overlooked  my  coat,  and  I  was  appointed  as  the  last  clerk 
that  ever  entered  the  public  service  without  any  exami- 
nation wduitever.  Bcrnal  Osborne  was  then  the  Parlia- 
mentary Secretary  to  the  Admiralty,  and  congratulated 
me  on  this.  Soon  afterwards  there  was  a  vacancy  in  the 
office,  and  the  son  of  a  friend  of  his  was  nominated,  who 
had  not  had  the  advantage,  as  we  all  knew,  of  a  too 
liberal  education.  We  juniors  trembled  for  the  result ; 
but  Beriuil  Osboriie  said  the  first  examiiuition  was  so  im- 
portant that  he  should  conduct  it  himself,  which  he  did 
to  the  utmost  satisfaction  of  the  candidate,  who  was  re- 

44 


Mayaliph 


'';Ikei'4BouMllpli.sr 


4 


1851  THE    CHIEF    CLERK 

ported  to  have  passed  with  flying  colors,  especially  in  the- 
ology !  It  is  only  jnst  to  say  that  a  better  official  than 
Augustus  Spalding  never  existed.  This  state  of  things 
was  too  good  to  last,  and  examinations  were  formally 
held  before  Civil -service  commissioners.  Three  candi- 
dates were  nominated  to  compete  for  one  vacancy.  Sir 
"William  Hayter,  then  the  astute  and  clever  Secretary  to 
the  Treasury,  was  not  to  be  so  easily  "  done '';  so  he  kept 
in  reserve  two  very  dull  boys,  whom  he  felt  sure  would 
never  succeed,  to  run  in  competition  with  his  friend 
whom  he  wished  to  be  appointed  ;  and  this  ruse  went  on, 
till  at  last,  after  constant  defeats,  one  of  his  ''  idiots  " 
was  finally  successful. 

I  cannot  even  now  look  back  to  my  early  days  at  the 
Admiralty  without  conjuring  up  to  myself  the  figure  of 
a  little  chief  clerk,  always  dressed  in  a  black  and  snuffy 
suit,  who  occasionally  came  to  the  office  in  the  morning 
dressed  in  a  great  frilled  shirt-front  and  evening  clothes, 
and  announced  that,  as  he  was  going  to  dine  out  that 
evening,  he  should  not  be  at  the  office  the  next  day. 
Frederick  Locker,  who  always  wore  kid  gloves  in  the 
office  for  fear  he  should  dirty  his  hands  with  ink,  and 
who  afterwards  delighted  the  world  with  his  brilliant 
verses  and  his  cheery  Confidences,  was  evidently  not  im- 
pressed with  the  dignity  of  the  man  or  the  office,  for 
on  my  asking  him  what  his  duties  were,  he  said  :  "  All  I 
know  is,  that  whenever  I  want  a  clean  towel  or  a  piece  of 
fresh  soap  I  always  ring  the  bell  and  send  for  the  chief 
clerk."'  My  admiration,  however,  of  the  worldly  Avisdom 
of  the  next  great  chief  clerk  hangs  about  me  still — how 
splendidly  he  threw  dignity  and  importance  into  the  lit- 
tle routine  forms  of  daily  official  life !  I  see  him  now, 
with  his  silver  locks,  placing  before  me,  to  copy,  the  most 
ordinary  of  departmental  documents,  and  telling  me  to 
be  expeditious  and  careful,  because  the  First  Lord  Avas 

45 


RECOLLECTIONS  1848- 

Avaiting  to  take  it  with  liim  to  the  Cabinet  ;  if  he  wanted 
a  boatswain's  warrant  made  out,  he  would  tell  me  that  it 
must  be  scrupulously  accurate,  as  it  was  to  be  signed  by 
her  Majesty  herself,  who  would  be  sure  to  notice  any 
fault. 

My  position  was  that  of  a  junior  clerk,  under  the  guid- 
ance of  John  Ileneage  Jesse,  the  kindest  of  friends,  the 
liistorian  of  the  Georges,  whose  tales  carried  me  back  to 
the  roaring  times  when  he  passed  ajennesse  orageuse  in 
company  with  Lord  Waterford  and  Frank  and  Charles 
Sheridan,  and  shared  in  all  their  scrapes,  some  of  which 
he  was  very  fond  of  telling.  On  one  occasion  a  niece 
of  his  had  been  liurt  at  Vauxhall  by  a  rocket  stick  fall- 
ing on  her,  and  was  taken  by  Jesse  to  a  well-known  Dr. 
Macan  (who  was  afterwards  doctor  to  our  militia  regi- 
ment) in  Parliament  Street.  Macan  was  skeptical  as  to 
the  alleged  relationship,  and  made  very  light  of  the  whole 
affair,  and  annoyed  Jesse  so  much  that  he  was  determined 
to  pay  him  out ;  so  as  he  and  his  friends  were  returning 
from  Greenwich  on  a  bright  summer  morning  in  an  om- 
nibus, they  drew  up  at  the  doctor's  door,  and  knocking 
violently,  implored  him  not  to  waste  a  moment,  as  one  of 
their  friends  was  lying  in  a  fit  on  the  floor  of  the  car- 
riage. Down  came  the  doctor  in  his  dressing-gown  and 
slippers;  they  opened  the  door,  shoved  him  in,  drove  on, 
and  turned  him  out  at  the  top  of  the  Ilaymarket,  amid 
the  jeers  of  the  drunken  revellers,  to  run  home  as  best 
he  could. 

When  T  was  at  the  Admiralty  I  made  acquaintance  with 
many  distiiiguislied  sailors;  among  them  always  stood 
out  ilarry  Keppel,'  who  had  then  established  his  reputa- 
tion as  the  pluckiest  and  the  bravest  officer  in  the  Royal 
Navy — a  reputation  still  green,  which  adds  to  his  bravery 

'  Afterwards  a  G.C.B.  and  Admiral  of  the  Fleet, 

46 


1851  WILLIAM    KEPPEL 

and  pluck  a  poinilarity  which  is  undying,  and  who  was  as 
popular  with  all  us  officials  as  he  was  afloat ;  Captain 
Milne/  Captain  Beauchamp  Seymour/  who  was  always 
called  the  "  Swell  of  the  Ocean/'  and  many  others. 

Thanks  to  my  brothers,  I  was  soon  fairly  launched 
into  the  small  circle  then  constituting  Society — how  dif- 
ferent a  society  from  what  I  have  lived  to  see ! — in  dress, 
in  manners,  customs,  and  even  language.  Those  were 
the  days  in  which  the  dandies  reigned,  with  their  triple 
waistcoats,  their  many -folded  neckcloths,  their  wrist- 
bands turned  back  over  their  tight  coat  sleeves,  their 
brocaded  evening  waistcoats  and  embroidered  shirt- 
fronts;  St.  James's  Street  belonged  to  them  —  White's 
and  Brooks's  were  honored  by  their  presence.  The  rec- 
ollections of  Count  d'Orsay,  Lord  Adolphus  FitzClar- 
ence.  Admiral  Eons,  Cecil  Forrester,  Sir  George  AVomb- 
well,  and  Alfred  Montgomery  pass  before  me  as  I  write, 
and  I  still  from  mere  force  of  habit,  as  I  walk,  peer  with 
awe  into  the  bay  window  of  White's  expecting  to  see  the 
well-known  faces  there. 

I  had  as  friends  Gerald  Ponsonby,  George  and  Odo 
and  Arthur  Russell,  Jervoise  Smith,  Frank  Stonor,  Will- 
iam Blackburn,  Stewart  Hobhouse  ;  Howard,  a  smart 
officer  in  the  2d  Life  Guards,  who  afterwards  became 
a  priest  and  a  cardinal ;  Augustus  Lumley,  and  many 
others ;  and  I  used  constantly  to  attend  what  were  then 
called  Electro -Biology  Seances,  at  the  Knightsbridge 
Barracks,  where  Captain  Bertie  used  to  perform  prodi- 
gies of  will  over  stalwart  Lifeguardsmen.  I  also  re- 
newed my  Eton  friendship  with  William  Keppel,"  after- 
wards Lord  Bury  —  one  such  as  Wordsworth  speaks  of 
as  "a  man  of  joyous  yesterdays  and  confident  to-mor- 

'  Afterwards  a  G.C.B.  and  Admiral  of  the  Fleet. 
"^  Afterwards  Lord  Alcester,  G.C.B. 
^  Subsequently  Lord  Albemarle. 

47 


RECOLLECTIONS  1848- 

rows  " — and  we  were  inseparable  for  many  years.  He  was 
the  most  gay  and  captivating  of  friends  and  companions, 
Avho  possessed  tliat  glorious  electricity  that  communi- 
cated itself  to  all  tiiose  in  his  company.  We  were  cap- 
tains in  the  Middlesex  Rifles  together.  In  these  happy 
days  he  used  to  keep  the  mess  table  in  a  roar  of  laughter, 
not  only  by  his  wit  and  stories,  but  by  the  humor  of  his 
telling ;  the  glory  fades  in  their  repetition,  and  though 
fifty  stories  spring  to  my  mind,  I  could  not  tell  one  Avith- 
out  losing  the  salt  and  the  sparkle  with  which  he  orna- 
mented them  all  so  well.  Alas,  that  it  should  be  so  !  but 
political  differences,  though  they  never  destroyed  our 
friendship,  drew  us  asunder  into  different  camps.  Ilis 
conversion  from  Liberalism  was  very  sudden,  and  he  be- 
came a  Tory  L'nder-Secretary,  a  Tory  Peer,  and  member 
of  the  Carlton  ;  whereas  I,  though  taking  no  part  in  poli- 
tics, remained  at  Brooks's,  Avhere  we  had  spent  so  many 
happy  hours  together. 

Among  my  early  friends  was  Henry  Calcraft,  who,  as 
a  young  boy,  had  just  entered  the  Board  of  Trade.  He 
was  very  amusing  and  witty,  and  had  shoals  of  friends,  by 
Avhom  he  was  commonly  called  the  ''Hangman."  One 
day  Lord  Cowley  said  to  him  :  "  Whenever  I  come  back 
to  London  you  are  always  the  first  person  I  am  sure  to 
see."  ''Yes,"  said  Calcraft,  "and  you  may  be  quite  sure 
I  shall  be  the  last !"  Like  all  of  ns,  he  had  his  fits  of  bad 
spirits.  I  never  pass  the  corner  of  Lansdowne  House 
Gardens,  which  the  present  Lord  Lansdowne  has  so 
much  improved  by  letting  us  see  through  his  gates,  with- 
out thinking  of  an  evening  when,  returning  from  a  ball, 
where  I  suppose  things  had  gone  awry,  Henry  said  :  "I 
hate  the  past,  I  loathe  the  present,  and  I  am  apprehen- 
sive of  the  future."  But  this  was  only  a  passing  grum- 
ble, and  he  lived  many  years  and  enjoyed  his  life,  and  I 
am  sure,  at  the  end,  was  not  "apprehensive  of  the  future." 

48 


1851  SOME    LONDON    CLUBS 

He  was  Mr.  Bright's  secretary,  and  was,  though  not 
naturally  industrious,  a  conscientious  and  able  official, 
succeeding  Lord  Farrer  as  Secretary  to  the  Board  of 
Trade.  Standing  one  day  with  me  in  front  of  the  tele- 
graphic despatches  at  Brooks^s,  and  seeing  the  death  of 
some  young  man  from  typhoid  fever,  he  said :  "  There 
is  one  compensation  in  getting  old — one  is  secure  against 
that."'  Shortly  afterwards  he  was  attacked  by  it,  and 
died  from  its  effects  in  189G. 

Almack's  then  flourished,  to  which  it  was  said  that 
fashion,  not  rank  or  money,  gave  the  entree.  Society 
was  so  small  that  Lady  Palmerston  used  to  write,  in 
her  own  hand,  invitations  to  her  parties.  Lord  Angle- 
sey used  to  have  in  his  house  in  Burlington  Gardens  a 
slate  where  anybody  who  wished  to  dine  might  write 
down  his  name ;  and  so  circumscribed  was  the  fashion- 
able world  that  there  was  always  in  each  season  one  lady 
who  was  recognized  by  society  as  jo«r  excellence  the  beauty 
of  the  year.  The  polka  had  just  been  introduced,  about 
1852,  and  Augustus  Lumley  and  William  Blackburn  ar- 
ranged the  days  of  all  the  fashionable  jDarties  and  balls 
in  London,  and  provided  lists  of  all  the  eligible  young 
men  in  that  small  and  exclusive  ring.  Lady  Blessing- 
ton's  salon  at  Gore  House,  where  D'Orsay — the  '^  Cupi- 
don  dechaine,''  as  he  was  called  by  Byron — Disraeli,  Bul- 
wer,  Charles  Dickens,  and  Napoleon  IIL  all  met,  came 
to  an  abrupt  close  in  1848  by  her  leaving  the  country. 

Lord  Gardner,  who  was  one  of  the  coterie,  dined  with 
Napoleon  on  the  night  before  the  ridiculous  expedition 
to  Boulogne,  and  was  invited  to  accompany  him.  Upon 
his  learning,  however,  that  an  eagle  had  been  bought  for 
the  occasion  from  Fisher  the  poulterer,  he  wisely  de- 
cided to  stay  at  home. 

The  glory  of  Crockford's  had  departed  before  I  came 
to  Loudon  in  1851,  and  a  restaurant  doomed  to  failure 
D  49 


RECOLLECTIONS  1848- 

had  taken  its  place.  But  St.  James's  was  full  of  fash- 
ionable "hells"  —  the  Cocoa -tree  Club  being  the  best 
known.  It  was  here  that,  one  Sunday  morning,  the 
witty  Lord  Alvanley  saw  two  "mutes"  standing  at  the 
door.  "Is  it  true,"  he  said  to  them,  "that  the  devil 
is  dead  ?  because,  if  so,  I  need  not  go  to  church  this 
morning."  For  in  those  and  later  days  pageantry  pur- 
sued even  the  dead.  Mutes  stood  at  the  door  for  a  week, 
mourners  wore  black  plumes,  black  cloaks  and  gloves, 
and  long  hat  -  streamers  of  silk  or  crape,  according  to 
their  relationship  to  the  deceased,  and  hatchments  — 
properly  spelled  achievements — hung  over  the  door  for  a 
year. 

Mr.  Banderet,  the  old  proprietor  of  Brooks's  Club,  rec- 
ollected when  the  packs  of  cards  used  there  were  reck- 
oned by  scores  a  night.  Now  cards  are  not  called  for 
at  all,  except  sometimes  on  the  occasion  of  a  rubber  at 
the  meetings  of  the  Fox  Club,  which  are  held  there.  In 
the  early  forties,  long  whist  with  ten  points  to  a  game 
was  still  played ;  and  now  I  am  told  that  even  short 
whist  is  supplanted  at  the  Portland  and  Turf  clubs  by 
bridge,  ecarte,  and  bezique. 

When  I  was  young,  people  at  large  country  -  house 
parties  used  to  go  into  breakfast  arm  -  in  -  arm,  and  no 
lady  ever  walked  with  her  husband  except  hras  sous 
bras.  Friends  always  walked  arm-in-arm,  and  the  coun- 
try neighbor  always  made  his  entry  into  a  party  arm-in- 
arm  with  his  wife  and  daughter.  Now  the  fashion  has 
disappeared,  except  at  dinner,  and  there  has  sprung  up 
an  odious  habit  of  indiscriminate  hand-shaking,  morning 
and  evening,  in  season  and  out  of  season  ;  as  well  as  an- 
other fashion,  worthy  of  a  table  dliote,  of  assigning  to 
each  guest  the  place  where  he  is  to  sit  at  dinner.  I 
wonder  why  the  bolder  spirits  of  the  younger  and  im- 
pecunious generation  have  not  risen  in  revolt  against 

50 


1851  DtNER    A    LA    RUSSE 

this  interference  within  dividual  liberty  of  choice  which 
used  to  be  theirs. 

Lady  Granville  once  remarked  that  in  her  younger 
days  nobody  in  polite  society  ever  mentioned  their  pov- 
erty or  their  digestion ;  whereas  now  they  have  become 
the  principal  topics  of  conversation,  and  if  society  was 
then  vigilant  in  ignoring  all  allusion  to  money  and  com- 
merce, we  have  now  gone  far  in  the  contrary  direction. 
Everybody  quotes  the  prices  of  stocks  and  shares,  and  I 
have  lived  to  see  the  day  when  a  youthful  scion  of  a 
noble  and  distinguished  house  produced  from  his  pocket 
at  dinner  a  sample  bundle  of  silks  to  show  how  cheaply 
they  could  be  bought  at  his  establishment !  Wine  circu- 
lars with  peers'  coronets  pursue  me  weekly ;  and  I  can 
buy  my  coal  at  20s.  a  ton  from  wagons  ornamented  with 
the  coronet  of  a  marquis. 

Now  the  good  old  habit  of  the  master  of  the  house 
asking  his  guests  to  drink  wine  with  him  has  passed 
away ;  yet  in  my  youth  it  was  so  much  the  fashion  that 
when  the  change  began,  on  a  host  asking  a  lady  if  she 
drank  no  wine,  she  replied,  "Do  you  expect  me  to  drink 
it  with  the  butler  ?" 

It  was  at  Lady  Sydney's  hospitable  table  in  Cleve- 
land Square  that  I  gained  my  first  experience  of  what 
was  then  called  dtner  d  la  Russe,  when  the  joints  were 
carved  off  the  table,  and  the  fruit  and  flowers  were  on 
the  cloth,  which  was  not  removed  after  dinner  —  tea  al- 
ways following  coffee. 

In  country-houses  luncheons  consisted  of  cold  meat  or 
the  children's  dinner;  and  the  men  who  were  going  to 
shoot  made  themselves  sandwiches  from  the  cold  meat 
which,  with  perhaps  an  egg,  constituted  the  ordinary 
breakfast.  Battues  and  hot  luncheons  were  an  innova- 
tion introduced  by  the  Prince  Consort. 

Breakfasts  used  to  be  given  by  Rogers,  the  banker  and 

51 


RECOLLECTIONS  1848- 

poet,  who,  in  addition  to  the  literary  charm  of  liis  com- 
pany, would  delight  the  gnests  with  the  musical  notes  of 
an  artificial  nightingale  which  sat  in  a  cage  outside  his 
window.  His  poems  of  Italy  were  beautifully  illustrated 
by  fStotliard,  Turnei-,  and  Culcott — a  novelty  in  those  days. 
Luttrell  said  that  his  poems  would  have  been  dished  but 
for  their  plates.  Visitors  to  Holland  House  still  may  see 
on  a  seat  in  the  garden  that  charming  tribute  to  his 
PIeas2ires  of  Memory/  : 

"Here  Rogers  sat,  and  here  for  ever  dwell 
With  me  those  pleasures  which  he  saug  so  well." 

He  died  at  the  age  of  ninety -three  in  1858,  having  seen 
in  his  youth  the  heads  of  rebels  on  Temple  Bar,  and 
cart-loads  of  young  girls  who  had  taken  part  in  the 
Gordon  riots,  in  dresses  of  various  colors,  on  their  way 
to  be  executed  at  Tyburn. 

Notwithstanding  Disraeli's  assertion  that  to  breakfast 
out  was  a  plebeian  amusement,  Mr.  Gladstone  continued 
his  breakfasts  on  Thursdays  in  Downing  Street  until 
1884. 

Mr.  Motley,  the  historian,  afterwards  the  American 
Minister  to  England,  was  constantly  at  breakfasts  of 
this  description,  and  I  was  delighted  at  reading  in  his 
Life  astonishment,  which  I  always  shared,  at  the  diges- 
tive powers  of  those  he  met.  "  When  I  reflected,"  he 
said,  "that  all  these  people  would  lunch  at  two  aiul  dine 
at  eight,  I  bowed  my  head  in  iiumiliation,  and  the  fork 
dropped  from  my  nerveless  grasp." 

Eliot  Warburton,  the  author  of  The  Creficent  and 
the  Cross,  had  breakfasts  where  my  mother  ami  sisters 
would  meet,  among  others.  Prince  Louis  Napoleon  and 
Kinglake.  Lady  Dorothy  Nevill  told  Warburton  that 
our  family  was  in  some  way  or  another  related  to  Amy 
Hobsart.     "  Oh,  what  pretty  blood  V  he  exclaimed. 


1851  THE    MISSES    BERRY 

Smoking  had  existed  from  the  time  of  Sir  Walter 
Ealeigh  down  to  my  youth,  but  only  on  sufferance,  and 
many  was  the  evening  in  winter  when  the  smoking  brig- 
ade was  sent  across  a  sloppy  yard  to  smoke  in  the  har- 
ness-room ;  when  there  were  less  bigoted  hosts  we  were 
allowed  to  remain  in  the  servants'  hall.  No  gentleman 
ever  smoked  in  the  streets  till  after  the  Crimean  peace  ; 
and  ladies  never  sullied  their  lips  with  tobacco,  or  even 
allowed  men  to  smoke  in  their  presence.  It  was  not  till 
the  year  1845  that  a  smoking-room  was  first  established 
in  the  holy  of  holies  of  Dandydom — White's  Club  ;  and 
it  was  1881  before  smoking  was  allowed  below  the  attics 
in  Brooks's. 

Thanks  to  the  introduction,  by  the  Prince  of  Wales,  of 
smoking  after  dinner,  wine-drinking  is  now  over.  What 
it  was  in  old  days  appears  almost  incredible.  The  late 
Lord  Clanwilliam  told  me  of  one  occasion  when  he  had 
dined  at  a  friend's  villa  near  Putney.  The  dinner  was 
extraordinarily  late  for  those  days  —  at  eight  o'clock. 
When  they  at  last  rose  from  the  table  and  Avent  up  to 
their  rooms,  Lord  Clanwilliam  flung  open  his  window 
and  saw  the  haymakers  coming  into  the  field.  "I  wonder," 
he  thought,  "what  hour  they  begin  work,"  and  on  con- 
sulting his  watch  he  found  it  was  half-past  eight  —  the 
haymakers  were  returning  to  work  from  their  breakfasts  ! 
Mr.  Gladstone  recollects  that  on  one  occasion,  when  a 
host  put  to  a  bishop  who  was  dining  with  him  the  or- 
dinary formula,  "  Will  your  lordship  have  any  more 
wine?"  the  bishop  replied,  in  an  unctuous  voice,  "  Thank 
you,  not  till  we  have  consumed  what  we  have  before  us." 

My  first  and  greatest  honor — though,  alas !  I  did  not 
value  it  at  the  time — was  to  receive  an  invitation  to  the 
famous  salon  of  the  Misses  Berry,  in  Curzon  Street,  who 
were  friends  of  my  eldest  brother  ;  and  it  still  seems 
strange  to  me  that  I  should  have  known  a  lady  who 

53 


RECOLLECTIONS  1848- 

Thackeray  says  ''  had  been  asked  in  marriage  by  Horace 
Walpole,  who  himself  had  been  patted  on  the  head  by 
George  L  Tliis  huly  li;ul  knocked  at  Dr.  Johnson's 
door,  had  been  intimate  with  Fox,  the  beautiful  Gcor- 
giana  Duchess  of  Devonshire,  and  that  brilliant  Whig 
society  of  the  reign  of  George  IH. ;  had  known  the 
Duchess  of  Quecnsberry,  the  patroness  of  Gay  and  Prior, 
the  admired  young  beauty  of  the  reign  of  Queen  Anne." 
I  was  taken  to  Lansdowne  House  and  introduced  to  the 
man  who  had  been  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer,  as 
Lord  Henry  Petty,  at  the  age  of  twenty-three,  in  the 
Cabinet  of  All  the  Talents.  It  was  at  his  house  that  my 
brother  was  dining  on  December  2,  1852,  the  anniversary 
of  the  great  coup  tVetat,  to  meet  M.  Thiers,  who  had  been 
banished  from  France,  Lord  John  Russell,  Lords  Aber- 
deen and  Macaulay,  when  the  servant  brought  the  Globe 
in  to  Lord  Lansdowne  after  dinner,  who  handed  it  over 
to  M.  Thiers,  saying,  "  Look  and  see  what  your  Presi- 
dent is  doing" — and  in  it  was  the  proclamation  of  Na- 
poleon as  Emperor. 

I  was  also  introduced  to  Lord  and  Lady  John  Russell : 
him  I  thought  very  alarming  and  cold;  and  to  Lady 
Ashburton,  whose  salon  at  Bath  House  was  frequented 
by  Hallam,  Carlyle,  and  Thackeray.  I  used  to  trem- 
ble as  I  passed  its  portals,  for  she  was  a  lady  who  in- 
spired awe  among  the  greatest — how  much  more  among 
such  as  I  !  Those  who  lived  at  that  time  will  well  re- 
member a  kindly  little  man,  the  Secretary  to  the  Poor 
Law  Board,  by  name  of  Fleming,  commonly  known  as 
the  "  Flea,"  whom  Sir  Henry  Taylor  described  as  a  "pur- 
ling brook."  He  was  well  known  in  society,  a  friend  of 
Charles  Buller's,  and  an  liabituc  of  Lady  Palmerston's 
house.  He  was  much  made  up  ;  and  when  Lady  Ash- 
burton was  told  of  his  house  being  entered  by  burglars, 
"It  was  hard  on  him,"  she  said;  ''for  he  could  not 

54 


1851  THE    "PEELITES" 

move,  having  unfortunately  left  his  backbone  on  the 
dressing-table."  I  became  intimate  with  Sir  James  and 
Lady  Graham.  He  was  then  one  of  tliat  very  distin- 
guished body  of  men  called  "  Peelites  " — Lord  Aberdeen, 
Sidney  Herbert,  the  Duke  of  Newcastle,  Lord  Elgin, 
Mr.  Gladstone,  and  Mr.  Cardwell.  Sir  James  was  a 
great  personality,  with  a  fine  and  commanding  presence, 
a  weighty  sj^eaker,  an  able  administrator ;  but  as  a 
statesman,  supposed  to  err  on  the  side  of  caution.  Lord 
Houghton  once  found  him  sitting  at  his  table  surrounded 
Avith  Hansard's  Parliamentary  Debates;  he  turned  to 
him  saying :  ''  I  have  been  examining  my  career,  and  I 
must  admit  it  has  been  a  little  devious.'"  His  wife  was 
a  lovely  woman.  She  was  a  Miss  Callander,  and  a 
cousin  of  the  Sheridans.  Li  her  old-fashioned  way  she 
always  called  him  '^  Graham."    She  died  in  1857. 

It  was  from  my  friendship  with  her  that  I  became  ac- 
quainted with  her  cousins,  Lady  Dufferin,  the  Duchess 
of  Somerset,  and  Mrs.  Norton,  whose  appearance  Mr. 
Motley  so  accurately  describes  : 

*'Her  face  is  extremely  beautiful;  the  hair  is  raven- 
violet-black;  the  eyes  very  large,  with  dark  lashes  as 
black  as  death  ;  the  nose  straight ;  the  mouth  flexible 
and  changing,  with  teeth  that  would  themselves  make 
the  fortune  of  an  ordinary  face;  and  when  you  add  to 
this  extraordinary  poetic  genius,  descent  from  that  fa- 
mous Sheridan  who  has  made  talent  hereditary  in  her 
family,  a  low  sweet  voice — you  can  understand  how  she 
twisted  men's  heads  off  and  their  hearts  out." 

I  was  taken  also  to  Lady  Granville's  salon  in  Bruton 
Street.  In  the  upper  floor  of  the  house  lived  Charles 
Greville  —  ''The  Lodger,"  as  she  called  him.  This, 
though  alarming,  was  made  much  less  so  by  the  kind- 
ness of  Lord  Granville,  and  the  fascinating  and  gentle 
charm  of  his  wife.     I  sometimes  was  at  Madame  de  Fla^ 

55 


RECOLLECTIONS  1848- 

liault's,  in  the  house  whicli  was  the  Coventry  Club,  and 
is  now  the  St.  James's,  where  she  held  salons  to  the  end 
of  the  eighties.  I  know  that  I  should  differ  from  all  the 
memoirs  I  have  read,  if  I  were  to  say  that  Lady  Palmer- 
ston's  parties  owed  their  especial  charm  to  the  fact  that 
tiicy  formed  the  certa'n  rendezvous  of  all  the  people  who 
made  her  world,  more  than  to  her  position  and  her 
charms,  or  Lord  Palmerston's  real  bonhomie.  It  was  told 
of  him  that  he  used  to  greet  all'  those  whom  he  did  not 
know  with  a  '^How  d'ye  do,  and  how  is  the  old  com- 
plaint ?"  which  fitted  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  men. 
Lady  Molesworth  in  Eaton  Place,  and  Lady  Waldegrave 
in  Carlton  Gardens  and  Strawberry  Hill,  were  introduc- 
ing more  cosmopolitan  gatherings,  with  Abraham  Hay- 
ward  and  Bernal  Osborne  as  standing  dishes — the  first 
a  studied  raconteur  who  was  said  to  read  up  his  an- 
ecdotes before  dinner,  and  even  arrange  Avith  a  friend 
what  was  to  be  said.  He  was  attacked  in  the  Quar- 
terly Revieiu  as  a  Tame  Cat  of  Society,  and  on  a  friend 
condoling  with  him  he  illustrated  his  position  by  telling 
of  a  boy  of  whose  riding  his  parents  were  very  proud. 
Before  a  crowd  of  admiring  friends  he  mounted  his 
donkey,  which  immediately  threw  him  off  and  kicked 
him  in  the  moutli.  The  boy  spluttered  out  through  his 
bleeding  lips :  "  'Tisn't  the  fall  and  'tisn't  the  valley  of 
the  teeth  what  annoys  me ;  but  'tis  the  naslity,  gashly, 
wishous  disposition  of  the  jackass."  Society  was  now 
becoming  democratized,  and  the  days  of  the  grands 
seigneurs  and  the  grandes  dames  were  rapidly  disap- 
pearing. 

Notorious  wits,  like  Sydney  Smith,  Jekyll,  Luttrell, 
Bernal  Osborne,  have  long  disappeared  from  the  scene, 
the  last  survivor  having  been  Dr.  Quin,  the  advocate  of 
homoeopathy.  I  met  him  one  night  at  Lady  Craven's, 
where  he  and  I  were  constant  guests  ;  I  had  a  bad  head- 

56 


1851  MAURICE    DRUMMOND 

ache,  and  Lady  Craven,  much  against  my  will,  asked  him 
what  I  should  take.     ''Advice,"  he  answered  promptly. 

I  was  often  at  Kent  House,  where  lived  Sir  George 
Cornewall  Lewis.  He  was  a  stern,  heavy-looking  man, 
whom  Charles  Greville  described  as  being  as  cold-blooded 
as  a  fish ;  a  prudent  statesman  of  the  old  Whig  school, 
but  more  interested  in  literature  than  politics.  Some  of 
his  cynical  sayings  have  become  household  words,  such 
as  "Life  would  be  tolerable  but  for  its  amusements." 
His  wife.  Lady  Theresa,  was  a  sister  of  Lord  Clarendon's. 
I  was  very  indignant  as  a  young  man  at  her  saying  that 
Sir  George  always  told  her  that  there  were  more  good 
places  in  the  Civil  Service  than  there  were  good  men  to 
fill  them  ;  but  later  in  life  I  found  it  too  true.  Maurice 
Drummond  was  his  private  secretary  when  he  was  Chan- 
cellor of  the  Exchequer,  a  strange  man,  who  married 
Miss  Lister,  a  stepdaughter  of  Lord  John  RusselFs. 

"  How  do  you  manage  to  get  people  away  so  soon  when 
they  come  to  see  you  ?"  asked  Sir  George  Lewis. 

"Oh,"  said  Maurice,  "  it  is  very  easy;  when  they  have 
talked  for  about  five  minutes,  I  say,  '  Would  you  not  like 
to  go  out  by  the  First  Lord's  garden  entrance  ?'  and  they 
always  jump  at  it,  even  if  they  were  going  the  other 
way."  This  was  the  little  gate  through  which  the  Duke 
of  Wellington,  when  First  Lord,  escaped  when  being 
hooted  by  a  crowd  for  his  opposition  to  Reform  in  1830, 
as  he  rode  to  his  office  in  Downing  Street. 

I  was  sometimes  at  Lady  William  Russell's  house  in 
South  Audley  Square.  She  had  broken  her  leg  and  was 
on  her  sofa,  but  this  did  not  dull  her  wut. 

Hastings,  her  eldest  son,  with  whom  I  was  great  friends 
in  our  militia  days,  inherited  much  of  her  humor.  At 
one  of  her  parties  he  opened  the  street  door  and  an- 
nounced her  guests,  saying  the  butler  was  drunk  in  the 
pantry. 

57 


RECOLLECTIONS  1848- 

lii  later  years  he  was  asked  why  he  had  deserted  Mr. 
Gladstone,  and  his  cynical  answer  was:  "Why  should 
not  I?  He  offered  me  the  Garter;  he  made  my  wife 
Mistress  of  the  Eobes ;  he  made  my  brother  a  Peer.  What 
more  could  I  get  from  him  ?'' 

On  May  1,  1851,  the  Great  Exhibition  in  Hyde  Park 
was  opened.  It  had  been  devised  by  Mr.  Paxton,  head 
gardener  to  the  Duke  of  Devonshire  at  Chatswortli. 
Lord  Granville  told  me  that  he  was  warned  that  the 
huge  construction  of  glass  would  not  stand  against  a 
gale  of  wind.  He  at  once  consulted  Sir  George  Airey, 
the  Astronomer  Royal  at  Greenwich,  who  assured  him 
there  was  no  danger,  as  it  would  be  amply  protect- 
ed by  the  mass  of  dead  air  which  always  surrounds 
a  great  building,  and  by  which  the  wind  would  be 
lifted. 

I  went  with  Charlie  Lane-Fox  to  see  the  crowd  and 
the  royalties  who  attended  the  opening ;  and  soon  after 
that  I  had  a  short  holiday,  and  with  Edwyn  Burnaby 
joined  a  party  of  friends  at  Paris  —  Ben  Stephenson,' 
Seymour  Damer,'  Bury,"  Eobert  Linsay,^  and  others. 
Paris  was  en  fete.  AVe  saw  a  review  of  60,000  ti'oops  in 
the  Champs-de-Mars;  each  regiment, as  it  marched  past, 
shouted  out  "  Vive  TEmporeur  !" 

One  evening,  after  a  good  dinner,  we  all  sallied  out  in 
the  Champs -Elysees,  which  was  crowded  with  shows, 
booths,  people,  and  soldiers.  Some  of  us  began  to  shoot 
at  a  mark,  and  Bury  won  a  live  rabbit,  which  was  as 
difficult  a  thing  to  dispose  of  as  a  white  elephant.  A 
dispute  arose,  and  Bury's  coat  was  torn;  he  struck 
a  Frenchman,  and  a  general  scrimmage  followed.  Bob 

'  Now  General  Sir  Frederick  Stephenson,  G.C.B. 
■■'  Died  as  Lord  Portarliugton. 

3  Afterwards  Earl  of  Albemarle. 

4  Now  Lord  Wantage,  K.C.B.,  V.C. 

68 


1851     THACKERAY'S    *'FOUR    GEORGES" 

Lindsay  knocking  the  little  blonsed  Frenchmen  down 
right  and  left ;  but  we  luckily  escaped  without  arrest. 

On  the  day  after,  I  left  Paris  for  England.  On  the 
way  our  train  broke  down,  and  I  was  delayed  for  the 
night  in  a  very  impecunious  state  at  Havre.  I  was  en- 
gaged to  dine  at  Mrs.  Mills's,  at  Camelford  House,  and  to 
go  to  the  Duke  of  Wellington's  ball  that  night,  which 
I  missed ;  but — though  this  was  the  last  of  the  great 
Duke's  balls — my  misfortunes  did  not  end  here,  for  I  was 
awoke  in  the  morning  by  two  big  gendarmes  standing 
over  my  bed  and  telling  me  to  get  up  and  accompany 
them  to  the  police  magistrate.  My  guilty  conscience 
told  me  I  was  arrested  for  our  row  in  Paris,  and  I  was 
dreadfully  frightened  as  I  was  ushered  in  before  the 
commissary.  It  soon  appeared  that  there  was  some  mis- 
take, and  that  I  was  supposed  to  be  a  runaway  school- 
boy ;  and  though  my  dignity  was  greatly  hurt,  I  was 
much  delighted  at  my  release. 

In  May  of  this  year  (1851)  Thackeray  began  in  Willis's 
Rooms  his  delightful  lectures  on  the  Four  Georges  ;  and 
we  have  all  since  read  the  account  of  his  nerves  on  that 
occasion.  He  took  society,  which  always  likes  to  be 
thought  to  have  literary  tastes,  by  storm,  diverting  them 
for  a  time  from  the  interest  in  and  disgust  at  Mrs. 
Bloomer  and  her  followers,  who  vainly  endeavored  to 
propagate  the  cult  of  that  hideous  costume. 

A  great  hippodrome  was  in  full  swing  in  South  Ken- 
sington. I  was  present  with  a  party  of  people  when  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Graham  made  their  disastrous  ascent  in  a  bal- 
loon, which  hardly  rose  above  the  roofs  of  the  buildings, 
and  was  finally  dashed  on  Colonel  North's  house  in 
Arlington  Street,  now  the  property  of  Lord  Granby. 

In  consequence  of  the  influx  of  foreigners  into  London 
to  see  the  Exhibition,  the  opera  season  was  prolonged 
over  August.     In  those  days,  and  until  the  sixties,  the 

59 


RECOLLECTIONS  1848- 

Italian  Opera  House  (which  at  the  Queen's  accession 
was  called  "  Her  Majesty's  ")  was  in  its  glory.  The  pit, 
which  occupied  the  floor  of  the  house,  gave  access  to 
the  boxes,  and  was  appropriately  called  the  "Fops' 
Alley."  Rubini,  Mario  and  Grisi,  Lablache,  and  later 
on  Cruvelli,  Sontag,  Alboni,  and  Jenny  Lind,  delighted 
audiences  as  fashionable  as  those  which  now  again  fill 
the  grand  tier  of  Covent  Garden ;  and  the  ballet,  with 
Cerito,  Taglioni,  Lucille  Grahn,  and  Rosati,  adorned  an 
art  which,  alas  !  has  now  degenerated  into  a  taste  for  vul- 
gar breakdowns  and  tarara-boom-de-ays. 

I  had  been  given  what  was  known  as  an  "ivory"  for 
Lord  Dudley's  double  box  on  the  grand  tier,  and  when 
the  fashionable  world  left  London,!,  who  was  kept  there 
at  my  office,  used  to  sit  in  state  alone  in  my  glory. 

Stewart  Hobhouse  was  a  great  friend  of  mine  in  these 
early  days  ;  he  was  in  the  Home  Office,  and  we  were 
continually  about  together.  Fire  escapes  were  then 
being  started  in  the  streets,  and  one  morning  three  or 
four  of  us  had  gone,  after  a  ball,  to  Covent  Garden.  On 
our  return  we  found  an  escape  at  St.  James's  church, 
and  climbed  up  the  ladder,  and  by  stretching  out  our 
hands  and  feet,  came  down  the  shoot  comfortably.  Hob- 
house  neglected  this  precaution,  and  came  down  with  a 
cruel  shock,  his  trousers  forced  up  his  legs,  and  his  coat 
turned  inside  out  over  his  head. 

Hobhouse  constantly  dined  with  a  celebrated  wit  of 
our  youth,  Sergeant  Murphy  (for  sergeants  -  at  -  law 
existed  in  those  days),  and  told  me  many  of  his  witty 
stories  ;  but  I  regret  to  say  that,  witty  as  they  were, 
there  were  not  many  that  could  be  recorded  here.  Mrs. 
Norton  was  talking  about  the  youthfulness  of  Lord 
Palmerston,  when  he  said,  "Yes,  but  even  he  cannot 
postpone  old  age  sine  die."  At  the  time  when  at  the 
beginning  of  the  Indian  Mutiny  horrible  and  ghastly 

60 


1851  LORD    BROUGHTON'S  TEMPER 

stories,  which  afterwards  turned  out  to  be  untrue,  were 
very  common,  one  was  told  of  a  lady  whose  nose  was  said 
to  have  been  slit  open  by  the  mutineers.  "  She  was 
always  called,"  some  one  remarked,  ''one  of  the  beauties 
of  the  Ganges."  "She'll  be  one  of  the  'Hooghly'  ones 
now,"  said  the  Sergeant.  i 

Lord  Broughtoii,  who  was  an  uncle  of  Stewart's,  bore 
a  strong  resemblance  to  one  of  the  doorkeepers  at  the 
Opera.  A  nouveau  riclie  told  him  to  call  his  carriage, 
which  he  did,  and  then  turned  saying,  "I  have  called 
yours,  perhaps  you  will  now  call  mine  ;  I  am  Lord 
Broughton."  He  had  a  peppery  temper,  and  one  day 
Thackeray  had  at  his  dinner  a  special  bottle  of  Madeira. 
There  was  one  glass  left,  and  Thackeray,  patting  Lord 
Broughton  on  the  back,  said,  "There,  my  dear  old  boy, 
you  drink  that."  "I  am  not  your  dear  boy,  I  am  not 
old,  and  d — n  your  wine,"  said  Lord  Broughton. 

Albert  Smith  was  a  wit  of  another  kind — clever  but 
vulgar ;  and  Dickens  never  forgave  him  for  imitating  his 
style  of  writing.  It  was  then  the  fashion  for  young  men 
to  go  in  balloons  with  old  Green  the  aeronaut;  and  Al- 
bert Smith  ascended  one  day  before  an  admiring  crowd 
of  onlookers,  and  waving  his  hand  to  a  young  lady,  an 
acquaintance  of  his,  as  he  was  starting,  he  said:  "If  I 
come  down  again  I  will  bring  you  back  a  sky -terrier." 
He  died  young,  leaving  a  widow,  who  was  Keeley's 
daughter;  Montagu  Williams  married  her  sister.  One 
day  the  latter  was  engaged  on  a  broiling  summer  after- 
noon in  a  law  case,  Vv^hich  he  could  not  leave  ;  he  turned 
to  a  young  barrister  and  said:  "I  had  promised  to  take 
my  wife  and  her  sister  to  the  Crystal  Palace ;  you  know 
tliem.  I  wish  you  would  go  down,  explain  my  absence, 
and  I  will  join  you  later." 

The  young  lawyer  did  as  he  was  told.  Mrs.  Albert 
Smith  grumbled  at  the  dreadful  heat. 

61 


RECOLLECTIONS  1848-1851 

"  Well,"  said  the  young  man,  mistaking  her  for  her 
sister,  "we  ought  not  to  complain,  when  wo  think  how 
dreadfully  hot  it  must  be  where  your  poor  husband  is  I" 

As  I  lived  in  Mayfair,  I  often  attended  the  services  at 
John  Street  chapel  to  hear  Mr.  Brookfield,  whose  ornate 
language  I  never  much  appreciated.  Preaching  a  ser- 
mon on  the  Christmas  message  to  the  shepherds  at 
l^ethlehem,  he  described  their  flock  as  the  "  woolly  sleep- 
ers'';  but  he  must  liave  possessed  great  merits,  for  he 
was  a  close  friend  of  Thackeray's,  in  my  opinion  the 
greatest  novelist  of  any  that  I  have  ever  read.  I  have 
been  young,  and  now  am  old ;  but  I  can  think  of  no 
books  which  have  given,  and  still  give,  me  such  pleasure 
as  Esmond,  The  Virginians,  Vanity  Fair,  and  The  New- 
comes.  No  one  photographed  like  him  the  world  I  have 
known  and  seen,  or  gave  such  pictures  of  noble  gener- 
osity, of  kind  acts  and  petty  foibles,  of  lofty  hopes  and 
profound  belief,  which  have  lasted  since  the  world  be- 
gan. How  often  I  have  put  down  his  books  because 
the  sunlight  on  the  pages  made  my  eyes  water,  and  com- 
forted myself  by  thinking  that,  as  the  great  author  said, 
"A  man  is  never  so  manly  as  Avhen  he  is  unmanned!" 
I  frequently  met  him,  but  never  really  knew  him  till  I 
learned  to  know  and  love  him  in  his  writings. 

We  were  one  night  discussing  the  mode  of  work 
adopted  by  various  authors,  when  Mrs.  Paul  related  how 
Ilolman  Hunt  had  told  her  that  a  party,  of  which  he 
was  one,  tried  to  persuade  Thackeray  to  join  them  in  a 
dinner-party  at  the  Star  and  Garter.  He  pleaded  the 
Avork  he  must  do,  and  refused.  On  their  return  they 
called  at  his  house,  and  found  he  had  written  exactly  a 
line  and  a  half  ! 


CHAPTER  III 

1851-1854 

Palmerston's  Dismissal  and  Revenge— Resignation  of  Lord  John 
Russell — Lord  Derby's  Administration — Return  of  Macaulay — 
Robert  Lowe  enters  Parliament  —  Jullien's  Concerts  —  Lord 
Clarendon— Stevenson  Blackwood— The  Duke  of  Wellington's 
Lying-in-State  and  Funeral — Disraeli's  Plagiarism — Defeat  of 
his  Budget  Proposals— Lord  Aberdeen's  Coalition  Government 
— A  Visit  to  Netberby  and  Gretna  Green — Wilson  the  Fisherman 
and  bis  Familiarities — War  Clouds  in  the  East — Sir  Charles  Xa- 
pier  —  Lord  Anglesey  and  his  Nonconformist  Friend  —  Depart- 
ure of  the  Scots  Fusilier  Guards — News  of  the  Alma — Balaclava 
— Lord  Ellesmere's  Verses— Elected  to  Brooks's— Sir  David  Dun- 
das — Cholera  in  London— The  two  George  Moores— Inkermau 
as  Described  by  a  Combatant. 

The  close  of  1851  was  an  exciting  time  in  politics  ;  for 
a  quarrel  had  sprung  up  between  Lord  John  Eussell  and 
Lord  Palmerston,  which  led  to  the  latter's  summary  dis- 
missal from  the  Foreign  Office,  the  seals  of  which  were 
handed  over  to  Lord  Granville. 

The  Cabinet  refused  to  recognize  the  Prince  President, 
while  Lord  Palmerston  had  privately  instructed  our  am- 
bassador, Lord  Normanby,  to  do  so. 

This  took  place  in  the  mouth  of  December,  and  in 
1852,  at  the  beginuiug  of  February,  Parliament  met,  and 
the  incident  was  the  subject  of  discussion  and  debate,  in 
which  it  was  thought  that  Lord  John  Russell  had  the 
best  of  it ;  indeed,  so  shrewd  a  judge  of  mankind  as  Mr. 
Disraeli  said  to  Lord  Dalling  :  '"'There  was  a  Palmerston." 

63 


RECOLLECTIONS  1851- 

Lord  John  Russell  introduced  a  Militia  Bill,  and  Lord 
Palmerston's  time  for  his  revenge  was  at  hand.  He  pro- 
posed an  amendment  on  some  small  point,  and  defeated 
the  government.     Lord  John  Russell  at  once  resigned. 

"I  was  indignant,"  wrote  his  private  secretar}^  aiid 
brother-in-law,  George  Elliot,  "with  Lord  Palmerston, 
after  he  had  been  dismissed  by  Lord  John,  bringing  for- 
ward a  verbal  amendment  on  the  Militia  Bill,  a  mere  pre- 
text on  which  the  government  was  overthrown.  Lord 
John  would  not  hear  of  it,  and  said  it  was  all  fair." 

Many  negotiations  took  place,  and  Disraeli  offered  to 
serve  under  Graham.  Lord  Derby  offered  office  to  Glad- 
stone, with  a  proviso  that  he  was  to  have  the  right  of 
proposing  a  fixed  dnty  on  corn.  Some  people  thought 
that  this  proviso  was  inserted  by  Disraeli,  who  knew  that 
it  would  secure  Gladstone's  refusal  ;  but  ultimately  Lord 
Derby  formed  a  government,  with  Disraeli  as  Chancel- 
lor of  the.  Exchequer.  Lord  Derby,  no  doubt,  if  he 
could,  would  at  that  time  have  restored  protection  ;  but 
Disraeli  knew  that  it  was  impossible.  His  old  friend, 
Mr.  James  Clay,  the  Radical  Member  for  Hull,  talking 
of  protection,  said:  *'It  is  as  dead  as  Lazarus."  "Yes, 
and  already  stinketh,"  said  Disraeli. 

Charles  Villiers,  the  early  apostle  of  the  Anti  -  Corn 
Law  League,  was  determined  to  bring  things  to  an  issue, 
and  brought  forward  a  resolution  in  favor  of  free-trade, 
which  was  carried  by  the  voice  of  all  but  fifty-three  ir- 
reconcilables,  headed  by  Colonel  Sibthorp,  who  were 
hereafter  known  as  the  "  Cannon  Balls." 

The  new  Parliament,  which,  in  November,  1852,  met 
fur  the  first  time  in  the  House  built  by  Barry,  welcomed 
back  Macaulay,  who  had  been  defeated  in  1847,  and  had 
been  drawn  from  his  retirement  by  the  persuasion  of  the 
citizens  of  Edinburgh.  He  was  the  popular  candidate, 
and  while  standing  on  the  hustings  side  by  side  with  his 

64 


1854  ROBERT    LOWE 

opponent,  he  was  violently  struck  by  a  dead  cat ;  the 
man  who  threw  it  immediately  apologized,  saying  he  had 
meant  it  for  his  opponent.  "  Well,"  said  Macaulay,  good- 
hnmoredly,  "I  wish  you  had  meant  it  for  me  and  struck 
him/' 

Eobert  Lowe,  of  whom  I  have  spoken  elsewhere,  also 
entered  Parliament  for  the  first  time.  One  pouring  wet 
night,  Lowe  missed  his  umbrella  from  the  cloak-room  in 
the  House  of  Commons,  where  he  had  carefully  put  it 
away  under  the  letter  "h."  He  interrogated  the  cus- 
todian, Mr.  Coe,  who  told  him  Sir  E.  Lytton  had  taken 
it.  "  I  told  him  it  was  yours,"  he  said,  "  and  Sir  Ed- 
ward said  that  if  he  found  it  was  when  he  got  home,  he 
would  send  it  back  in  the  morning  !" 

Many  were  the  joyous  evenings  we  spent  listening  in 
the  shilling  promenade  of  Jullien's  concerts.  I  see 
Jullien  now,  with  a  profusion  of  curls,  a  white  waistcoat, 
and  a  large  shirt-front,  conducting  his  splendid  orches- 
tra, or  sinking  down  exhausted  amid  a  round  of  ap- 
plause, after  a  solo  by  Koenig.  I  cannot  remember  the 
correct  name  of  the  artist  who  worked  her  audience  up 
to  such  a  genuine  pitch  of  enthusiasm  by  singing  ''  Com- 
in'  thro'  the  Rye,"  but  no  music  since  has  charmed  me 
more,  for,  alas  !  I  am  unworthy  through  my  ignorance  of 
severe  music,  and  feel  inclined  to  sympathize  with  Baron 
Dowse,  who,  on  being  asked  if  he  liked  Bach's  music, 
said  :  "  I  would  rather  hear  Offenbach  than  Bach  — 
often." 

In  the  autumn  of  this  year,  1852,  my  great  friend 
Gerald  Ponsonby  and  I  took  a  little  cottage  near  the  gate 
of  Cassiobury  Park,  Lord  Essex's  lovely  place  in  Hert- 
fordshire. Our  landlady  was  a  deaf  old  woman  who  kept 
one  maid-servant.  Here  we  used  to  come  down  every 
day  after  our  work,  and  go  over  to  the  "'Grove,"  and 
sometimes  saw  Lord  Clarendon,  Avhose  private  secretary 
E  65 


RECOLLECTIONS  1851- 

Gerald  Pousonby  had  been  when  he  was  Lord  Lieutenant 
of  Ireland.  He  was  possessed  of  rare  personal  beauty, 
and  of  even  greater  personal  charms ;  an  acharne  smoker ; 
a  delightful  talker,  and  always  clever  enough  to  impress 
his  hearers  with  the  idea  that  he  was  taking  them  into 
his  confidence,  while  really  he  was  telling  them  nothing. 
Close  by  was  Hazelwood,  Lord  Rokeby's,  and  Moor  Park, 
a  beautiful  place  which  belonged  to  Lord  Robert  Gros- 
venor,  who  was  M.P.  for  Middlesex,  and  afterwards  Lord 
Ebury. 

Our  friends,  Lady  Augusta  Gordon  and  her  daughters, 
came  to  tea  with  us  here  ;  and  also  one  night  came  Steven- 
son Blackwood,  afterwards  Secretary  to  the  Post  Office. 
He  was  an  extraordinarily  handsome  man,  and  in  the 
evening  we  heard  the  servant-girl,  who  had  been  amazed 
at  his  appearance,  shouting  out  to  our  deaf  landlady, 
"They  do  say  he's  a  dook,"  which  amused  us  very  much, 
and  gave  us  great  opportunities  for  chaff.  The  following 
day  news  came  of  the  death  of  the  Duke  of  Wellington 
at  AValmer.  AVhen  I  arrived  at  the  cottage  I  tried  to  tell 
this  to  the  landlady  in  vain  ;  as  a  last  effort  I  shouted  at 
the  top  of  my  voice,  "  The  Duke  is  dead."  "  What,  him 
as  was  here  yesterday  ?"  was  all  I  could  get  from  her. 

In  November  there  was  the  lying-in-state  of  the  Duke 
of  Wellington  at  Chelsea,  a  sight  so  fine  that  it  attracted 
many  more  people  than  could  possibly  be  squeezed  into 
the  building.  The  fight  in  the  passages  was  very  alarm- 
ing, and  Hussey  Vivian  and  I  had  to  put  our  arms  against 
each  other  so  as  to  protect  his  wife,  who  was  in  no  small 
danger.  We  escaped  without  any  material  damage;  but 
in  the  evening  we  heard  of  tAVO  poor  women  being  crushed 
to  death. 

I  witnessed  the  funeral  from  Lord  Cadogan's  windows 
in  Piccadilly  on  November  18th.  It  was  a  moving  sight 
which  even  the  horrible  South  Kensington  catafalque, 

66 


1854  DISRAELI'S    PLAGIARISM 

with  all  its  tawdry  vulgarities,  could  not  altogether  de- 
prive of  its  solemnity. 

Disraeli  proposed  the  vote  of  condolence  on  the  Duke 
of  Wellington's  death.  Mr.  O'Dowd  and  Mr.  Blackett, 
the  editor  of  the  Globe,  were  sitting  under  the  gallery, 
and  were  struck  by  his  speech  as  being  something  they 
had  read  before  ;  they  rushed  off  to  the  Atheneeum  and 
turned  over  the  books  they  had  lately  read,  and  found 
Disraeli's  speech  was  abstracted  from  a  review  of  the 
Memoirs  of  General  St.  Cyr '  by  Thiers. 

The  following  epigram  appeared  next  day  in  the 
Glohe: 

"  In  singing  great  Wellington's  praise, 

Dizzy's  truth  and  his  grief  both  appear, 
For  he  let  fall  a  great  flood  of  tears  (Thiers), 

Which  was  certainly  meant  for  sincere  (St.  Cyr)." 

Thiers,  who  had  at  the  time  of  St.  Cyr's  death  been  in 
London,  saw  and  conversed  with  Abraham  Hayward  about 
his  Memoirs,  and  no  doubt  claimed  the  review  as  his  own  ; 
but  many  believe  it  was  really  written  by  Armand  Carrel. 

Soon  after  came  Disraeli's  budget,  introduced  in  a 
splendid  speech.  Animated  by  all  the  strength  of  des- 
peration, he  assailed  the  late  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer, 
Sir  Charles  Wood,  with  bitter  virulence.  "  He  should 
learn,"  Disraeli  said,  "that  petulance  is  not  sarcasm,  and 
insolence  is  not  invective." 

It  was  suggested  that  he  should  withdraw  and  recon- 
sider his  budget,  as  Pitt  and  Wood  had  done.  Alluding 
to  this,  he  said:  "Though  I  will  not  aspire  to  the  fame 
of  the  one,  I  will  not  sink  to  the  degradation  of  the 
other.*' 

•  General  St.  Cyr  had  not  been  one  of  Napoleon's  favorites,  but 
he  always  considered  him  and  Massena  as  the  two  ablest  of  his 
generals. 

67 


RECOLLECTIONS  1851- 

It  wiia  two  in  the  morning  when  he  sat  down,  and  then 
'•'one  greater  than  he  arose"  and  shattered  all  his  pro- 
posals. 

The  House  divided  at  four  in  the  morning,  and  Lord 
Derby's  government  was  in  a  minority  of  nineteen.  "An 
unpleasant  day  for  crossing  to  Osborne,"  said  Disraeli, 
as  the  cold  morning  broke  over  St.  Stephen's. 

In  December  Lord  Aberdeen  formed  a  coalition  gov- 
ernment composed  of  Liberals  and  Peelites.  Lord  Aber- 
deen had  begun  his  life  in  diplomacy  as  an  attache  to 
Lord  Cornvvallis  at  the  time  of  the  Peace  of  Amiens, 
in  1802.  lie  was  still  a  young  man  when  he  was  em- 
ployed on  a  mission  to  induce  Austria  to  treat  with 
Napoleon ;  he  was  present  at  the  battle  of  Leipsic ;  he 
was  Foreign  Secretary  in  the  Duke  of  Wellington's  Cabi- 
net of  1827  ;  was  Peel's  Colonial  Secretary  in  1834,  and 
in  IS-tl  was  again  Foreign  Secretary. 

Mr.  Gladstone  always  had  the  highest  opinion  of  him, 
and  maintained  that  he  was  absolutely  free  from  suspi- 
cion, that  common  failing  to  which  all  j^oliticians  were 
too  prone. 

In  later  years  I  once  mentioned  this  to  Mr.  Goschen. 
''Ah,"  he  said,  "nobody  could  accuse  me  of  that;  I  al- 
ways err  on  the  side  of  over-confidence." 

To  the  surprise  of  all,  Lord  John  Russell  took  the 
seals  of  the  Foreign  Office,  and  Lord  Palmerston  became 
Home  Secretary,  Mr.  Gladstone  Chancellor  of  the  Ex- 
chequer ;  the  Duke  of  Newcastle  became  Colonial  Secre- 
tary, and  all  matters  relating  to  war,  curiously  enough, 
came  under  his  control.  Sir  James  Graham,  who  had 
been  always  very  kind  to  me,  and  with  whose  family  I 
had  established  a  great  friendshi]!,  became  First  Lord  of 
the  Admiralty. 

The  administration  was  again  described  as  the  Govern- 
ment of  All  the  Talents;  but  on  Mr.  Gladstone  all  men's 

68 


1854  GRETNA    GREEN 

eyes  were  turned.  He  was  already  known  as  a  splendid 
debater,  a  scholar,  a  young  man  of  unblemished  character 
and  great  parliamentary  talents. 

In  the  autumn  of  1852,  when  paying  a  visit  to  Sir 
James  Graham  at  Netherby,  I  was  taken  over  the  border 
to  see  the  historical  Gretna  Green,  where  runaway  mar- 
riages were  celebrated  by  the  village  blacksmith.  We 
scanned  the  register  with  great  interest,  and  we  found 
Richard  Brinsley  Sheridan's  marriage  twice  registered 
within  a  few  days,  which,  I  believe,  was  accounted  for  by 
the  fact  that,  after  his  first  marriage  with  Miss  Grant, 
they  had  gone  on  to  Edinburgh,  where  he  took  up  a  news- 
paper and  read  that  a  civil  contract  was  not  binding  on 
a  Sunday,  which  was  legally  considered  a  dies  no7i  in 
Scotland  ;  so,  as  they  had  been  married  on  a  Sunday,  they 
posted  back  to  Gretna  Green,  and  again  went  through  the 
ceremony  before  the  blacksmith.  After  this  they  were 
married,  as  Gilbert  says,  "  Quite  reg'lar  at  St.  George's." 
Marriages  as  performed  at  Gretna  Green  were  rendered 
for  the  future  illegal  in  1857. 

At  Netherby  there  Avas  an  old  fisherman  of  the  name 
of  Wilson.  He  always  called  Sir  James — a  man  who 
inspired  awe,  if  not  admiration,  in  his  colleagues  — 
"Jamie."  "Come  out  of  that,  Jamie,  or  I'll  come  and 
pull  you  out,"  when  he  thought  he  was  wading  too  deep. 
It  was  told  of  him  that  he  was  giving  a  lesson  to  Miss 
Sheridan,  afterwards  Duchess  of  Somerset,  in  salmon- 
fishing.  She  had  hooked  a  fish  :  "  Slacken  your  line, 
Georgie,"  he  shouted  ;  "  damn  you,  Georgie,  why  don't 
you  slacken  your  line  ?"  Lord  Galloway  was  shooting  in 
the  Sol  way  Firth,  and  often  tumbled  in  the  bog.  "  Help 
his  lordship  out,"  said  Sir  James.  "  Hech,  mon,"  was 
the  answer;  "let  him  bide,  he's  no  worth  the  pulling 
out." 

One  day,  in  later  visits,  I  was  fishing  with  old  Wilson's 

69 


RECOLLECTIONS  1851- 

son,  who  luul  inherited  liis  father's  peculiarities.  Miss 
Graham  and  my  wife  were  in  a  boat  which  stranded  on  a 
sand-bank.  I  called  Wilson's  attention  to  them.  "  Let 
them  bide/'  said  he ;  "  that's  their  business ;  fishing  is 
ours." 

Sir  Frederick,  Sir  James's  eldest  son,  had  succeeded 
him,  and  had  married  Lady  Hermione  St.  Maur,  the 
lovely  daughter  of  the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Somerset. 
She  wished  to  try  and  catch  a  salmon,  and  told  Wilson 
to  let  her  know  when  the  river  was  in  order.  Weeks 
passed,  and  she  asked  her  brother-in-law,  Malise,  whether 
the  river  was  right.  "It's  been  in  lovely  order,"  he 
said,  *'  for  ten  days,"  and  asked  Wilson  why  he  had  not 
told  her — had  ho  forgotten  it  ?  "  Nae,"  he  said  ;  "  but 
they  womenfolk  are  feckless  beings ;  I  take  no  count  of 
them." 

Lord  Malmesbury  had  a  coachman  on  the  same  terms 
of  familiarity.  Looking  over  the  great  Loch  of  Lochiel 
one  evening  at  the  end  of  a  day's  sport,  he  said:  ''Ah, 
John!  I  wish  I  had  that  loch  at  Heron  Court."  "Why, 
if  yon  had,"  said  John,  "it  would  drown  you  and  your 
house,  and  all  your  little  property."  But  though  John 
was  a  friend  and  a  sportsman  in  the  North,  he  was  a  very 
solemn  coachman  in  the  South.  Going  one  day  in  state 
to  the  drawing-room,  driving  up  the  Mall,  Lord  Malmes- 
bury, seeing  some  wild  ducks  flying  from  St.  James's 
water  to  the  Serpentine,  let  down  the  window  and  shout- 
ed out,  to  his  bewigged  coachman's  great  disgust,  "John, 
John,  ducks  over  !" 

The  year  had  not  closed  before  Lord  Palmerston's  resig- 
nation was  announced  in  the  Times.  The  night  before  it 
appeared  I  had  been  at  a  ball  at  Hatfield ;  and,  coming 
to  the  station,  I  gave  the  newspaper  to  Lady  Graham, 
who  evidently  had  been  in  the  secret.  In  a  few  days  the 
difficulty  about  Lord  John's  Reform  Bill  had  been  ad- 

70 


1854     PALMERSTON'S    RESIGNATION 

justed,  and  Lord  Palmerston,  finding  Lord  Lansdowne 
would  not  accompany  him,  returned  to  his  duties  "of 
shutting  up  grave-yards,  and  compelling  factories  to  con- 
sume their  own  smoke." 

For  forty  years  England  had  been  at  peace  in  Europe, 
but  now  (1853)  the  war  clouds  were  rolling  up,  and  were 
soon  to  burst  in  thunder  in  the  East.  Turkey  was  sick ; 
Russia  was  aggressive  ;  and  England  madly  and  wicked- 
ly determined,  as  is  now  generally  recognized,  to  main- 
tain the  integrity  of  the  Turkish  Empire.  The  diplo- 
matic negotiations  about  the  Holy  Places  were  long,  and 
took  place  when  Palmerston  was  still  (of  all  places  in 
the  world)  at  the  Home  Office.  Lord  John  Russell,  true 
to  the  early  love  of  his  youth,  was  contemplating  a  Re- 
form Bill,  on  which,  it  was  said.  Lord  Palmerston  sub- 
sequently resigned  his  office.  Then  came  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  Turkish  fleet  by  Russia  at  Sinope  in  the 
Black  Sea,  and  the  British  lion  could  not  be  restrained 
any  longer.  Ko  doubt  Lord  Aberdeen  and  Mr.  Glad- 
stone had  striven  hard  for  peace,  but  in  vain.  Lord 
Palmerston  returned  to  his  office  again,  a  demonstration 
was  determined  on,  and  troops  were  to  be  despatched  to 
Malta  and  a  fleet  to  the  Baltic. 

In  1854  Lady  Graham  took  me  to  Spithead  to  see  the 
review  of  this  fleet,  under  the  command  of  Sir  Charles 
Napier.  Before  taking  up  his  appointment  he  made  a 
very  foolish  and  bragging  speech  at  a  dinner  given  to 
him  at  the  Reform  Club  in  March — (it  was  to  this  speech 
that  Bright  drew  the  attention  of  the  House,  and  Lord 
Palmerston  addressed  him  as  the  "  honorable  and  rev- 
erend gentleman") — and,  indeed,  there  was  much  more 
barking  than  biting  when  he  got  to  the  Baltic.  He 
had  talked  of  hell  or  Westminster  Abbey,  and  issued  a 
magniloquent  address  to  the  squadron,  telling  them  to 
sharpen  their  cutlasses  and  keep  their  powder  dry,  and 

71 


RECOLLECTIONS  1851- 

then  passed  liis  time,  as  was  said^  in  angry  correspond- 
ence and  deep  potations. 

On  April  24tli  a  great  Waterloo  hero,  Lord  Anglesey, 
passed  away.  He  had  suffered  horribly  from  tic,  but 
kept  his  grand-scifjneur  manners  to  the  last,  and  apolo- 
gized to  his  family  for  being  so  long  dying.  He  had 
been  Master-General  of  the  Ordnance,  and  always  wore 
a  light-blue,  or,  as  it  was  called,  a  Pagct-bluo  coat.  One 
day  as  my  father  was  walking  along  Pall  Mall,  an  old 
Jew  asked  him  if  that  was  Lord  Anglesey,  and  added : 
*'  I  would  not  give  him  half-a-crown  for  his  coat." 

Lord  Anglesey  had  been  a  very  liberal-minded  man 
for  those  days.  A  Nonconformist  waited  on  him  at 
Beaudescrt,  asking  him  if  he  would  sell  a  piece  of 
ground  for  a  chapel  on  Cannock  Chase,  for  the  use  of  the 
men  employed  in  the  collieries  there.  Lord  Anglesey 
said  he  would  not  sell,  but  he  would  gladly  give  him  a 
site  for  the  purpose.  I  do  not  know  the  date  of  this  oc- 
currence, but  in  1820  a  man  insisted  on  seeing  him  as  he 
was  dressing  to  attend  Queen  Caroline's  trial.  AVhen  he 
came  in  he  told  Lord  Anglesey,  who  had  not  recognized 
him,  that  he  had  never  forgotten  his  generosity  in  the 
matter  of  the  chapel,  that  it  had  come  to  his  knowledge 
that  an  attack  was  to  be  made  on  him  when  returning 
from  "Westminster,  and  that  the  mob  would  try  to  un- 
horse him.  Lord  Anglesey  did  not  attach  much  im- 
portance to  this  communication  ;  but  on  his  return  there 
was  a  decided  attempt  to  seize  his  wooden  leg  and  pull 
him  off.  He  was  riding  between  the  Duke  of  Welling- 
ton and  the  Duke  of  Richmond,  who  hustled  him  through 
the  crowd  and  escaped.  Shortly  after  this,  in  the  same 
year,  the  Nonconformist  again  called  on  Lord  Anglesey, 
saying  that  he  had  not  taken  the  warning  he  had  given 
him  before,  but  now  he  had  much  more  serious  news  to 
impart.     He  then  proceeded  to  tell  him  of  Thistlewood's 

72 


1854     HUDSON,    THE    RAILWAY    KING 

plot  to  blow  up  the  Ministry  at  a  Cabinet  dinner  given 
by  Lord  Harrowby  in  Grosvenor  Square,  The  police 
were  communicated  with,  and  arrests,  which  led  to  the 
execution  of  Thistlewood  and  several  of  his  accomplices, 
were  made  in  Cato  Street,  by  which  name  the  conspir- 
acy is  now  known. 

The  gloom  of  imminent  war  in  the  East  did  not  put 
a  stop  to  London  gayeties,  and  Madame  Walewska,  the 
wife  of  the  French  Ambassador,  who  was  a  son  of  the 
first  Emperor,  gave  a  magnificent  fancy  ball  in  her  house 
at  Albert  Gate,  which  formerly  belonged  to  Hudson,  the 
great  Kailway  King.  When  he  was  in  the  height  of  his 
prosperity  ray  mother  had  been  induced,  somewhat 
against  her  will,  to  go  to  his  balls  as  others  went.  Then 
the  great  smash  came  and  Hudson  was  ruined ;  his  wife 
lived  in  a  poor  lodging  in  Burton  Street,  near  Euston 
Square,  and  my  mother  constantly  went  to  see  her,  say- 
ing she  had  gone  to  her  house  against  her  will  when  she 
was  rich,  and  she  would  willingly  go  and  see  her  now 
she  was  poor.  I  think  my  mother  was  the  only  person 
who  did. 

On  a  dark  morning  in  February,  1854, 1  went  to  see 
my  friends  in  the  Scots  Fusilier  Guards  (as  they  were 
then  called)  parade  in  the  barracks  preparatory  to  their 
departure  for  Malta.  I  think  it  was  the  most  impressive 
moment  that  I  had  experienced  in  my  life.  War  we  had 
read  of ;  now  we  knew  it  was  near  in  all  its  grim  reality. 
My  own  friends,  with  whom  I  had  passed  so  many  happy 
hours,  were  going  away — of  these  how  few  were  to  re- 
turn !  I  accompanied  them  to  Waterloo  Station,  where 
they  were  entrained,  but  even  then  it  was  difficult  to 
believe  that  it  was  more  than  the  beginning  of  a  mili- 
tary parade.  I  returned  with  a  sad  heart,  almost  ashamed 
of  not  being  a  soldier.  War  was  declared  on  February 
21,  1854.     All  the  spring  and  summer  were  spent  in 

73 


RECOLLECTIONS  1851- 

jinxioty,  and  wc  thought  and  dreamed  of  nothing  but  of 
our  army  in  the  East;  for  fighting,  say  what  you  will, 
is  dear  to  the  hearts  of  all  Englishmen  in  whatever  cause 
their  country  may  be  embarked.  In  September  the  suc- 
cessful landing  in  the  Crimea,  and  the  brilliant  victory 
on  the  Alma,  lulled  us  into  false  security,  and  made  us 
at  home  feel  the  worst  was  over.  ]\[y  old  friends  of  the 
Scots  Fusiliers,  and  particularly  Bob  Lindsay,  distin- 
guished themselves,  and  he  proved  how  he  could  main- 
tain on  the  battle-field  the  pluck  and  the  fighting  quali- 
ties he  had  shown  on  the  boulevards  of  Paris.  He  was 
one  of  the  first  to  gain  the  Victoria  Cross. 

The  victory  was,  unfortunately,  not  followed  up.  Sir 
Edmund  Lyons  himself,  in  after  years,  told  me  that  on 
the  night  of  the  battle  he  met  Lord  Raglan  on  the  banks 
of  the  Katchka,  who  told  him  he  was  anxious,  then  and 
there,  to  push  on  to  Sebastopol,  but  that  Marshal  St. 
Arnaud  had  demurred  on  the  ground  that  his  troops 
were  tired  out  and  unable  to  move.  Sir  Edmund  Lyons 
could  only  account  for  this  on  the  supposition  that  he 
was  hopelessly  ill,  and  shortly  after,  in  the  same  evening, 
when  Lord  Raglan  and  Sir  Edmund  visited  the  French 
marshal,  they  found  him  a  dying  man. 

On  the  Sunday  morning  following  the  news  of  the 
Alma,  it  was  announced  in  the  streets  and  pulpits  of 
England  that  our  troops  had  taken  Sebastopol ;  but  it 
was  not  the  case.  Our  army  was  commanded  by  brave 
but  old  men,  and  these  effected  what  was  considered  a 
fine  bit  of  strategy,  but  was  in  reality  the  greatest  of  all 
the  blunders  that  our  commanders  made  in  that  un- 
happy war — the  flank  march  to  Balaclava.  This  gave 
what  was  essential  to  the  Russians — time,  and  they  made 
good  use  of  their  opportunity.  A  new  school  of  en- 
gineers had  arisen,  and  Todleben  had  fortified  Sebas- 
topol with  more  than  the  skill  of  a  Vauban. 

74 


1854  BALACLAVA 

The  supposed  object  of  Lord  Raglan's  flank  march 
was  to  secure  communication  with  the  sea  by  means  of 
the  little  land-locked  harbor  of  Balaclava;  here  the  Brit- 
ish, Turkish,  and  French  armies  sat  down  and  literally 
wasted  the  precious  autumn  months. 

When  the  Russian  fleet  was  sunk  to  jDrevent  the  in- 
gress of  our  ships  into  their  harbor,  our  commander 
undertook  a  siege  without  investing  the  town  he  was 
besieging.  On  October  25th  the  Russians,  moving  up 
the  valley  of  Balaclava,  drove  in  the  Turks  from  their 
advanced  posts,  and,  by  a  mistaken  order,  rather  more 
than  600  English  cavalry  were  ordered  to  charge  the 
Russian  guns.  Out  of  the  600,  only  190  returned. 
Blundering  incapacity  and  loss  of  temper  had  in  twen- 
ty minutes  cost  England  two -thirds  of  her  light  cav- 
alry. 

Lord  Cardigan  returned  to  dinner  on  his  yacht  and 
sneered  at  Captain  Nolan's  death-cry. 

Lord  Ellesmere's  verses  on  the  charge  are  well  worth 
recording : 

"BALACLAVA 

"  They  thought  we  were  coxcombs — they  said  we  were  born 
In  the  sunshine  of  peace-time,  like  insects  to  fly; 
The  jester  and  novelist  made  us  his  scorn, 
And  lecturing  hypocrites  joined  in  the  cry. 

"They  said  we  were  heroes  best  fitted  to  shine 

In  the  barrack  and  ball-room,  the  ring  and  parade; 

That  the  source  of  what  courage  we  boasted  was  wine, 

And  woman  the  prize  of  what  conquests  we  made. 

"  That  slander  is  scattered  like  mists  by  the  sun, 

It  shrouds  not  the  grave  where  its  objects  repose ; 
On  the  limber  of  many  a  Muscovite  gun 
They  have  scored  its  rebuke  in  the  blood  of  their  foes 

75 


RECOLLECTIONS  1851- 

"  Ere  thoir  run  was  exhausted.     Alas!  for  the  number 
Too  scanty  to  conquer,  too  many  to  fall, 
Of  those  whom  no  trumpet  can  wake  from  their  slumber, 
No  leader  can  rally,  no  signal  recall. 

"  It  was  hopeless — but  none  in  the  leader's  high  bearing, 
As  he  rode  in  his  stirrup  the  mandate  to  give, 
Could  mark  as  they  heard  it  one  symptom  declaring 
That  none  could  accomplish  that  order  and  live. 

"  It  was  hopeless — all  knew  it,  but  onward  they  bounded 
In  the  order  and  speed  of  some  festival  day, 
When  with  kings  to  behold  them,  by  gazers  surrounded, 
They  mimic  the  features  of  battle's  array. 

"  Oh!  well  may  the  remnant  that,  shattered  and  broken, 
Returned  from  that  contest  accept  of  the  fame, 
Which  wherever  the  word  Balaclava  be  spoken 
Shall  join  its  sad  glories  with  Cardigan's  name. 

"  And  in  Beaudesert's  hall  when  the  Yule  log  is  lighted, 
And  the  tale  of  great  deeds  makes  its  round  by  the  fire. 
It  shall  tell  how  a  son  of  that  house  has  requited. 
Though  we  cease  not  to  mourn  it,  the  loss  of  his  sire. 

"Oh!  would  he  had  lived  to  have  read  and  have  noted, 
When  the  red  tide  of  slaughter  rolled  over  the  plain, 
'Twas  the  plume  of  a  Paget  above  it  that  floated. 
It  was  Anglesey  charged  in  his  offspring  again." 

In  1854  I  was  elected  a  member  of  Brooks's  Clnb.  I 
remember  Sir  David  Dundas,  who  had  been  Solicitor- 
General  in  Lord  John  Russell's  government  of  1846, 
announcing  my  election  to  me  at  a  party  at  Lord  Gode- 
rich's,  who  was  then  the  Radical  member  for  Huddersfield. 
He  said,  with  a  kind  though  somewhat  pompous  man- 
ner, that  he  was  not  sure  that  it  was  a  subject  of  con- 
gratulation to  so  young  a  man  to  be  unanimously  elected 
to  a  club  like  Brooks's.  However,  I  was  pleased  though 
terrified,  for  it  then  was  the  most  formidable  centre  of 

76 


1854  SIR    DAVID    DUNDAS 

Wliigism  pure  and  imdilnted,  and  very  few  young  men 
were  members.  It  has  been  described  as  a  country- 
house  with  the  Duke  lying  dead  up-stairs  ;  and  this,  per- 
haps, best  conveys  the  idea  of  its  solemnity,  which  was 
then  so  alarming.  Frederick  Byng,  always  called  the 
"Poodle,"  acted  as  chief  constable,  and  woe  to  the 
young  man  who  ventured  to  dine  unless  in  evening 
dress,  or  even  to  enter  the  club  in  a  shooting-coat  or  a 
pot-hat. 

^ir  David  Dundas  was  Eecorder  of  Scarborough,  and 
in  those  days  there  was  only  one  jail  delivery  in  the  year. 
After  the  sessions  were  over  the  jailer  said:  "What, 
your  Honor,  is  to  be  done  with  the  man  that  created  a 
disturbance  in  the  court  last  year  ?  Your  Honor  will 
recollect  yon  committed  him  for  contempt  of  Court." 
"  Good  heavens  !"  said  Sir  David,  who  of  course  had 
only  committed  him  for  the  day  ;  "  release  him  at  once." 
And  the  Recorder  said  :  "  What  did  the  man  say  ?" 
"  Well,  your  Honor,  I  told  him  I  had  known  many  a 
man  transported  for  much  less — and  he  was  very  grate- 
ful r 

Lady  Parke  gave  him  a  salt-cellar  with  the  inscrip- 
tion : 

"Ecce  tibi  vacuum  dat  Parca  benigna  salinum; 
Ipsos  jam  dederat  Parca  benigna  sales." 

By  the  autumn  the  cholera  had  broken  out  in  Eng- 
land. Society  was  startled  by  the  sudden  death  of  Lord 
Jocelyn  at  Lord  Palmerston's  house  in  Carlton  Gardens, 
and  was  indignant  at  Providence  allowing  one  of  them- 
selves to  become  a  victim  to  this  terrible  illness.  London 
became  very  empty,  but  my  duties  did  not  cease,  and  I  re- 
mained in  town  through  the  autumn.  I  had  few  friends 
left  with  whom  to  dine,  and  I  used  to  go  nearly  every 
night  to  Brooks's  with  Alfred  Buckley,  who  was  one  of 

77 


RECOLLECTIONS  1851- 

my  colleagnes  in  the  Admii-alty,  and  wc  dined  in  the  lit- 
tle oval  room  Avhich  is  now  cut  up  into  di-essing-rooms. 
Here  we  used  to  meet  Sir  Benjamin  Hall,  President  of 
the  Board  of  Health,  and  John  Campbell  of  Islay,  the 
secretary ;  and  it  is  easy  to  imagine  that  our  conversa- 
tion naturally  turned  to  questions  of  cholera  statistics, 
which,  as  we  separated  to  our  lodgings,  did  not  tend 
to  raise  our  spirits.  Each  day  there  were  fresh  victims, 
and  once  we  heard  of  a  terrible  and  sudden  outbreak 
which  had  occurred  in  Silver  Street,  at  the  back  of 
Regent's  Quadrant ;  we  were  actually  told  that  black 
flags  were  hung  up  and  no  one  allowed  to  pass  into  the 
street.  We  went  to  see,  and  found  it  was  not  true ; 
but  it  was  true  that  the  mortality  had  been  fearful:  it 
was  supposed  to  have  been  caused  by  water  coming  from 
a  pump  drawn  from  an  old  plague-pit. 

In  those  days  of  limited  sanitary  science,  water  from 
polluted  sources,  which  presented  a  sparkling  appearance, 
was  much  sought  after.  There  was  a  pump  at  St.  James's 
Church  and  one  in  Arlington  Street,  to  which  people 
sent  to  procure  water  as  a  luxury;  and  some  years  later, 
when  I  was  on  the  Committee  of  Management  at  Brooks's 
Club,  "where  the  water  also  was  famous,  we  discovered 
that  the  well  was  in  close  proximity  to  an  old  cesspool. 
These  pumps  are  all  closed,  and  cholera  outbreaks  are 
becoming  as  rare  as  small-pox.  In  my  childhood  there 
were  few  families  and  households  that  had  not  a  mem- 
ber marked  with  this  terrible  affliction. 

George  Moore,  the  great  philanthropist  —  wdio  had 
always  proposed  Lord  John  Russell  for  the  City,  and 
had  himself  been  asked  to  stand  for  that  constituency — 
was  put  up  for  Brooks's  by  Lord  Carlisle  and  Lord  Ebury; 
the  former  was  Lord  Lieutenant  of  Ireland,  and  in  that 
country  when  the  ballot  came  on.  Lord  Ebury  wrote 
asking  me  to  be  present,  as  he  was  prevented  attending. 

78 


1854  LETTER    FROM    BURNABY 

When  I  got  into  the  club  the  ballot  had  commenced, 
and  I  said  to  Charles  Grenfell  and  George  Byng  as  I 
went  up  to  the  box :  "  Of  course  you  will  vote  for 
George  Moore,"  which  they  did.  As  we  turned  away. 
Sir  John  Shelley  said :  "  I  hope  you  have  not  been  vot- 
ing for  that  scoundrel  Moore."  I  began  to  explain  when 
the  result  was  made  known,  and  out  of  twenty-two  balls 
nineteen  were  black !  It  appeared  that  the  candidate 
had  been  mistaken  for  a  certain  man  of  the  same  name 
who  had  been  turned  out  of  the  club  years  before.  In 
my  agony  I  aiDjDealed  to  Lord  Granville,  who  thought,  in 
the  peculiar  circumstances  of  the  case,  the  doors  might 
be  locked  and  the  ballot  taken  again ;  but ''Poodle" 
Byng  said  it  would  be  a  new  departure,  and  should  not 
be  allowed.  So  eventually  I  was  authorized  to  write  to 
George  Moore,  and  to  point  out  to  him  the  palpable  mis- 
take that  had  occurred,  and  ask  him  to  have  his  name  put 
down  again,  which  he  did,  and  was  unanimously  elected. 
In  London  Balaclava  filled  our  thoughts,  and  all  the 
heroic  deeds  of  that  wild  charge  fired  our  imaginations. 
Then  followed  Inkerman,  and  it  may  be  of  interest  to 
publish  a  letter  written  by  one  who  escaped  from  that 
bloody  conflict,  and  who  told  the  story  while  it  was 
fresh  in  his  mind. 

"Before  Sebastopol,  November  7,  1854. 

"My  dear  West, — Weeks  have  elapsed  since  I  have  written. 
What  a  life  we  are  leadin-g  ! — we  sleep  with  our  clothes  on,  and 
bear-skin  for  a  pillow.  Our  belts  and  arms  are  by  our  sides,  ready 
to  turn  out  at  a  moment's  notice.  Our  duties  are  to  furnish  the 
outposts  and  covering  parties,  in  case  the  working  parties  should 
be  attacked  in  the  trenches. 

' '  We  are  on  the  extreme  right.  On  November  4th  Colonel 
Lindsay  and  Sir  R.  Newman  relieved  Turner  and  myself  at  the 
outpost  we  were  on.  This  takes  place  an  hour  before  daybreak, 
so  that  all  posts  may  be  doubly  strong  at  that  hour,  for  most  at- 
tacks occur  then.  On  returning  to  camp  one  finds  all  stirring  and 
busy  though  the  sun  has  not  yet  risen.     Many  is  the  day  we  have 

79 


RECOLLECTIONS  1851- 

110  time  to  wash  ;  in  fact,  I  liavc  licen  Ihrce  days  witliout.  The 
shirt  on  our  backs  is  the  only  one  many  of  us  liave.  Generally  we 
get  our  salt  ration  of  pork  or  beef  cooked  by  four  o'clock,  and 
every  now  and  then  a  bit  of  fresh  meat  is  served  out.  Three  por- 
tions of  rum  we  also  get ;  likewise  good  rice  and  hard  biscuit. 
After  our  dinner  Turner  and  1  went  to  bed,  having  had  but  little 
sleep  the  night  before.  At  daybreak  the  usual  firing  began,  the 
bombardment  of  the  town  ;  but  the  sun  of  November  5th  had  not 
appeared,  for  the  morning  was  gray  and  misty,  yet  a  sound  of  small- 
arms  in  the  direction  of  the  outposts  suddenly  came  upon  us,  and 
the  words  '  Belts  on  and  fall  in  '  were  complied  with  in  less  than 
an  instant,  and  we  w'ere  under  arms.  The  three  battalions  of 
Guards  were  now  together  in  three  columns.  Grenadiers  in  front. 
I  commanded  the  3d  company,  and  was  the  right-hand  man  of  the 
battalion — as  both  1st  and  2d  companies  had  that  night  been  on 
outpost  and  had  not  yet  been  relieved.  We  were  to  march  in 
the  direction  of  the  firing,  which  lay  over  the  hill.  We  are  en- 
camped on  a  plateau  out  of  sight  of  the  town,  which  is  below  us, 
and  you  do  not  see  Sebastopol  until  you  reach  the  hill's  edge, 
which  is  before  one's  tents.  Up  this  hill  we  therefore  advanced, 
General  Bentinck  pointing  out  the  direction  ;  but  the  continued 
fire  needed  little  our  being  directed  to  it,  for  we  were  getting 
closer  to  it  at  every  step.  Aides-de-camp  were  galloping  about, 
and  all  was  bustle.  In  came  one  of  our  outpost  corporals  to 
say  not  a  firelock  would  go  off,  from  the  rain  which  had  damped 
them  in  the  night,  and  as  we  marched  along  each  man  was 
looking  at  his  piece  to  get  the  powder  up  and  put  a  new  cap 
on.  Hardly  had  we  advanced  when  the  Russian  Artillery,  play- 
ing from  an  opposite  hill,  sent  its  fire  over  the  ridge  we  were 
ascending.  Terrible  and  shocking  was  the  effect  of  its  accurate 
direction,  for  over  this  very  hill  had  every  regiment  to  pass  before 
it  could  get  up  to  the  redoubts  that  were  being  attacked  and  defend- 
ed by  outposts  and  a  few  guns.  Shells  burst  in  every  direction, 
knocking  over  men  in  all  attitudes  dead  on  the  spot.  Others  were 
crawling  about  with  broken  legs  ;  horses  were  falling  all  about;  a 
cannon-ball  knocked  two  horses  down  which  were  picketed  side  by 
aide  close  to  me,  and  the  next  minute  a  shell  burst  before  my  feet, 
blowing  up  the  mud  and  stones.  Over  I  fell  senseless,  but  the 
strong  fur-collar  of  my  great  coat  protected  my  neck  from  the 
stones,  and  my  pistol  by  my  side  saved  my  life,  as  the  shell  only  cut 
my  cloak,  and  my  hip  was  only  bruised.     I  got  up,  then  fell  down 

80 


1854  INKER  MAN 

again,  but  soon  caught  up  my  battalion.  Men  were  dropping  in 
every  direction,  and  we  were  now  on  the  top  of  the  hill,  and  most  of 
the  shells  and  cannon-balls  were  falling  behind  us,  when  the  out- 
posts, having  held  the  redoubt  as  long  as  possible,  were  retiring. 
'They  are  close  to  you,'  they  replied  to  our  questions,  and  tlie 
next  minute  we  were  up  to  the  redoubt.  The  two  guns  were  then 
put  to  horses  and  flew  away  as  we  came  up,  and  the  Russians  also 
were  in  the  redoubt,  but  too  late  to  spike  the  guns.  What  a  fight ! 
The  Russians  in  great  numbers  were  advancing,  yet  forward  we 
pushed  and  fought  bayonet  with  bayonet  across  the  sand -bank 
apertures.  The  bits  of  stone  and  earth  that  lay  on  the  top  even  did 
we  throw  at  each  otber,  but  in  the  midst  of  this  confusion  '  Charge, 
Grenadiers,  charge  !'  was  echoed  on  all  sides,  and  with  a  unani- 
mous cheer  we  jumped  over  the  bank  of  the  redoubt,  and  away  we 
advanced  over  the  wounded ;  but  we  soon  fell  back  behind  the  re- 
doubt again,  their  numbers  were  overpowering — we  had  no  support, 
bear  in  mind.  We  now  loaded  and  fired  away  as  fast  as  we  could. 
Higginson,  the  colonel,  and  the  major  had  their  horses  here  shot 
under  them  ;  men  were  dropping  on  all  sides,  bullets  whizzed  past 
my  ears  in  hundreds.  Colonel  Dawson  dropped  by  my  side.  I 
stopped  to  unbutton  his  coat  and  pour  a  drop  of  wine  down  his 
throat,  but  I  discovered  him  shot  through  the  heart ;  the  ball  had 
hit  the  centre  of  his  watch  and  taken  it  in  with  it,  nothing  but  the 
outer  rim  remaining. 

"  At  this  spot  afterwards  fell  Hubert  Greville,  Elliott,  Mackinnon, 
Neville,  Pakenham,  Cowell,  Hunter  Blair,  and  others.  A  support 
now  came  up  composed  of  a  few  companies  of  the  95th.  Some  one 
gave  the  word  to  advance — we  had  just  come  to  the  end  of  our  am- 
munition ;  two  boxes  had  been  opened  and  served  out  as  far  as  they 
would  go,  but  all  was  confusion,  and  many  were  those  who  leaped 
over  the  redoubt  and  rushed  forward  to  meet  the  enemy  with  but  a 
few  rounds  of  ammunition  remaining.  I  was  among  these — away 
we  went,  fighting  madly  and  terribly ;  Russians  heaped  together 
lay  in  all  directions.  The  ground  we  were  on  was  oak  brushwood, 
and  was  on  the  side  of  a  hill,  the  top  of  which  might  have  been 
some  sixty  yards  from  us.  Well,  away  we  went,  firing  and  bayonet- 
ing hand  to  hand  with  the  crack  regiment  of  Russian  Rifles,  come 
but  a  few  days  since  in  chaises  to  the  Crimea.  The  massacre  was 
shocking.  If  I  get  to  England  I  will  tell  you  all  that  took  place  in 
this  advance  —  how  my  life  was  saved,  and  how  I  saved  those  of 
others.  We  had  gone  on  a  great  way ;  and  on  looking  behind  us 
F  81 


RECOLLECTIONS  1851- 

perceived  no  support ;  and  as  I  turned  to  the  ridge  of  the  hill,  the 
side  of  which  we  had  come  along,  I  noticed  it  covered  with  Russian 
riflemen  and  the  bayonets  of  another  regiment  also.  '  Retire  !' 
'Fall  back  !'  I  shouted  ;  but  all  was  mad  excitement.  "We  were  close 
to  Sebastopol,  though  we  could  not  see  it.  Many  of  the  foremost 
of  the  men  had  gone  over  the  bridge  below.  I  had  ascended  the 
next  hill  towanKs  Inkerman.  At  last  they  listened  to  the  word  and 
began  to  retire.  Kinloch,  an  officer  of  the  95tli,  and  myself  were 
the  only  oflScers.  We  had  now  not  a  round  of  ammunition  left. 
Silently  we  bent  our  retiring  steps  over  the  high  brush-wood  of 
young  oaks  and  rough  rocky  soil  ;  streaming  with  heat,  exhaust- 
ed to  death,  we  continued  our  way.  The  redoubt  lay  at  the  top 
of  the  hill,  about  half  a  mile  away  here  on  the  side,  and,  as  I  said 
before,  the  Russians  above  us  on  the  ridge.  Few  men  escaped,  and 
they  fell  like  rabbits  at  every  pace  they  took.  A  Grenadier  was 
before  me — over  he  fell.  I  was  stepping  over  him  when  a  Cold- 
streamer  behind  me  came  falling  over  me.  No  doubt  they  picked 
me  out  as  an  officer,  for  though  we  wore  our  cloaks  they  distin- 
guished us.  I  had  no  strength  left ;  my  heart  was  beating  in  my 
mouth  from  fatigue  when  we  heard  the  Russians  were  again  in  pos- 
session of  the  redoubts.  Men  continued  to  fall  dead  and  wounded, 
and  we  now  arrived  again  where  our  fire  had  told  so  on  the  Rus- 
sians. Many  of  the  wounded  lay  saying  their  prayers  ;  they  nearly 
all  had  medals  on.  At  last  I  got  to  the  redoubt  and  saw  a  few  bear- 
skins behind  it — it  had  just  been  retaken.  1  lay  down  just  on  the 
spot  where  Dawson  fell — his  blood  was  on  the  ground — and  beside 
me  lay  a  man  who  had  his  brains  blown  out.  I  was  so  beat  I 
tliought  I  never  could  get  up.  I  put  a  few  drops  of  port  to  my 
lips,  but  could  not  swallow.  How  long  I  lay  there  I  cannot  tell ;  I 
should  think  ten  minutes.  I  then  got  on  my  legs  and  retired  with 
the  rest.  A  French  regiment  now  came  up,  and  again  we  found 
ourselves  retracing  our  steps  over  the  hill,  and  came  in  sight  of  our 
tents. 

"General  Adams  passed  us  on  a  litter,  shot  in  the  leg.  I  gave  him 
some  wine.  How  shocking  was  the  scene  we  now  saw  ! — mangled 
bodies  in  ail  attitudes  and  all  directions.  We  now  had  anunuuition 
served  out,  and  all  the  French  regiments  were  moving  up.  I  got  a 
cup  of  tea  and  some  rum  brought  nie  by  my  servant ;  but  nearly 
every  one  liad  left  our  tents  as  the  shot  and  shell  came  among  them. 
Tlie  three  battalions  of  Guards  were  now  two  companies,  the  Gren- 
adiers numbering  forty-eight  files.     Presently  the  remainder,  who 

82 


1854  AFTER    INKERMAN 

had  assembled  in  another  place,  came  up,  and  our  numbers  were  in- 
creased, but  we  were  cut  to  bits. 

"We  stayed  under  the  hill  before  our  tents;  the  shells  came 
dropping  over  us  and  among  us.  I  was  on  horseback,  as  I  had 
sprained  my  ankle.  Within  a  yard  a  shell  burst  and  killed  five  men 
of  my  company. 

"  I  have  no  time  for  more,  as  to  tell  you  all  that  occurred  would 
take  days. 

"On  November  6th  we  buried  the  dead  —  eight  officers  of  the 
Coldstreams  and  Pakenham,  and  Neville  also  ;  Newman's  body  had 
been  taken  away  by  his  brother.  The  dead  are  being  buried.  I  re- 
turned from  the  field  of  battle.  How  terrible  !  We  shall  be  a  week 
burying.  I  saw  in  the  distance  a  few  Greek  priests  burying  Rus- 
sians, but  the  battle-field  is  ours.  Heaps  upon  heaps  in  all  altitudes 
— the  wounded  still  lying  there  alive  mixed  with  the  dead.  I  car- 
ried water  and  quenched  the  poor  fellows'  thirst.  They  had  all  four 
days'  bread,  as  they  intended  putting  up  gabions  and  forming  a 
position.  I  spoke  to  them,  for  I  can  speak  sufficient  Russian  to 
converse  on  common  things — poor  fellows  !  Yet  how  they  mur- 
dered our  men  when  they  lay  wounded  !  Newman  was  hit  in  the  leg 
and  unable  to  walk,  and  when  found  he  had  a  bayonet  wound  in 
his  breast,  another  in  his  thigh,  and  his  brains  blown  out.  Young 
Hubert  Greville,  hit  in  the  arm  and  faint  from  loss  of  blood, 
dropped,  and  was  pierced  through  and  through.  Neville  was  car- 
ried away  on  a  litter  by  four  drummers,  when  the  enemy  advanced, 
and  they  set  him  down  to  fly :  the  first  Russian  poked  him  in  the 
stomach,  the  next  in  his  forehead,  glancing  down  the  ear.  He 
died  in  the  night.  The  officers  killed  are  38,  wounded  95  ;  there 
are  2460  killed  and  wounded  of  men  and  non  -  commissioned  of- 
ficers. 

"I  hear  the  French  loss  is  700.  I  should  say  the  Russians  lost 
10,000  at  least. 

"Thank  God  in  Heaven  that  he  has  preserved  me  to  come  home 
to  my  friends;  but  we  may  yet  have  far  more  fighting. 

"  Blair  and  Bouverie  are  just  buried  ;  the  former  died  last  night, 
the  latter  was  brought  in  from  the  field.  The  French  are  close  to 
the  town,  in  trenches. 

"E.  S.  BUBNABY." 


CHAPTER  IV 

CRIMEA— 18r)4-1855 

Frederick  Cadogan's  and  Lord  Ebury's  Offers — I  Start  for  the  Crimea 
— Viennese  Hospitalities — Pestli  and  tlie  Danube — Landing  at 
Giurgevo — Journey  to  Bucharest — Grenville  Murray — !Miss  Ken- 
netli  —  Rustchuk,  Cadikeui,  Shumlah,  Varna  —  Omar  Pasha  — 
Arrival  at  Cossacks  Bay — The  French  Camp — A  Disagreeable 
Contrast  —  First  View  of  Balaclava  —  The  Camp  of  tbe  First 
Division — The  Guards'  Quarters — Colonel  Ilardinge's  Despair 
—  Dinner  with  Blackwood  —  The  Lost  Zouave  — A  Beautiful 
Road — Sir  George  Brown  and  Pennefather — Mismanagement  in 
the  Crimea — Homeward  Voj'age — The  Bosphorus  and  Constanti- 
nople— The  Hospitals  at  Scutari — ]\Ieeting  with  Eton  Friends — 
Tlie  Isles  of  Greece— Messina,  Marseilles,  Paris — Return  to  Lon- 
don— Retrospect. 

I  WAS  longing  to  go  out,  at  least  to  see  the  scene  of 
war.  AValking  along  Piccadilly  with  these  thoughts,  I 
came  across  Frederick  Cadogan,  who  told  me  he  was  be- 
ing sent  out  by  the  Submarine  Telegraph  Company  to 
establish  communication  from  the  seat  of  Avar  by  means 
of  a  submarine  cable  ;  that  he  was  going  overland,  and 
that,  if  I  liked,  wherever  he  had  to  have  carriages,  he 
could  take  me.  I  jumped  at  the  proposal,  but  curious- 
ly enough,  the  very  next  day  Lord  Ebury  sent  for  and 
asked  me  if  I  would  go  out  to  the  Crimea  and  adminis- 
ter the  fund  which  was  being  raised  for  our  soldiers.  I 
felt  that  after  the  arrangement  I  had  made  with  Fred- 
erick Cadogan  it  would  not  be  fair  to  throw  him  over, 
and  I  therefore,  with   genuine   sorrow  and   regret,  de- 

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1854-1855  VIENNA 

clined  an  offer  which  I  could  not  but  consider  very  flat- 
tering. 

I  was  determined  to  keep  a  diary,  and  such  as  it  is  I 
leave  it,  although  it  is,  no  doubt,  full  of  things  only  of 
interest  to  myself  ;  the  sole  claim  which  can  be  made 
for  it  is  that  it  may  convey  the  impressions  which  oc- 
curred to  me  at  the  time. 

"  On  December  12,  1854,  I  started  in  advance  of 
Frederick  Cadogan,  through  Hanover  to  Dresden,  where 
I  stayed  some  hours,  seeing,  as  far  as  a  dense  fog  would 
let  me  see  anything,  the  streets  and  the  cathedral,  and 
in  the  evening  again  started  for  Prague,  where  I  began 
my  very  disagreeable  experiences  of  Austrian  rule. 

"  At  seven  o'clock  I  arrived  at  the  '  Archduke 
Charles,'  very  dirty,  very  hungry,  and  very  tired  after 
my  five  days'  journey.  It  was  Sunday,  and,  after  attend- 
ing service  in  the  Embassy,  I  called  on  Irvine,  an  old 
Paris  acquaintance,  with  whom  I  visited  our  ambassa- 
dor, Lord  Westmorland,  who  was  very  kind,  and  asked 
me  to  dine  with  him  on  the  Monday  and  Tuesday.  I 
then  walked  on  the  bastion,  where  I  met  Count  Buol. 
The  view  of  the  snow-capped  hills  in  the  distance,  where 
I  was  told  all  the  Viennese  world  dined  in  the  summer, 
was  bright  and  pretty.  At  five  o'clock  I  dined  at  the 
Embassy  and  took  in  Lady  Kose  Fane,  Lord  Westmor- 
land's daughter,  and  renewed  our  acquaintance  begun  in 
old  Walmer  days.  Of  course,  all  the  conversation  was 
about  the  Crimea.  Dinner  was  over  at  7.30,  and  we 
went  to  the  opera.  The  following  day  Lady  Westmor- 
land was  ill,  and  we  all  dined  at  Henry  Elliot's  instead 
of  the  Embassy,  and  at  nine  o'clock  we  left,  and  Morier 
took  me  to  a  party  at  Madame  Tedesco's,  a  great  friend 
of  Odo  and  Arthur  Eussell's,  of  whom  I  had  already  of- 
ten heard.  She  greeted  me  most  graciously,  making  me 
a  cigarette  and  one  for  herself.     She  talked  in  wonder- 

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RECOLLECTIONS  1854- 

ful  English  of  her  visits  to  London  and  lier  friends  the 
Russells. 

*'The  rest  of  our  time  was  occupied  in  making  ar- 
rangements for  our  departure. 

*'Lady  Westmorhmd  wished  to  see  us  before  we  left, 
and  though  she  was  still  unwell  we  had  a  long  talk,  and 
she  told  us  some  curious  stories  of  the  Austrian  police; 
how  an  officer  in  their  service  had  outstayed  his  leave, 
and  the  authorities  asked  Lord  Westmorland  to  write 
and  ascertain  through  our  police  where  he  was,  and  to 
have  him  arrested  and  sent  back  to  Vienna ! 

''In  the  evening  we  dined  with  Irvine  at  the  Casino 
to  meet  Mr.  Hughes,  a  dragoman  of  the  Embassy,  who 
was  very  anxious  to  accompany  us  as  interpreter,  but  was 
devoured  by  the  difficulty  of  making  up  his  mind;  it  was 
*  Yes,  No;  Yes,  No,'  all  through  dinner.  And  then  we 
went  to  a  beautiful  concert  of  the  younger  Strauss,  who 
played  a  piece  called  the  'Wedding  Wreath,' which  he 
had  composed  for  the  young  Emperor's  wedding.  We 
sat  in  an  enormous  hall  where  everybody  smoked,  and 
yet  so  clear  was  the  atmosphere  that  there  was  hardly 
any  sign  of  smoke  in  the  room. 

"The  next  morning  Mr.  Hughes  met  us  with  *No'; 
then,  at  last  and  finally,  'Yes';  and,  after  beautiful 
drives  through  the  snow,  we  dined  once  more  at  the 
Casino,  and  in  the  morning  of  Friday,  December  23d,  I 
started  for  Pesth,  glad  to  get  on,  though  sorry  to  leave 
Vienna,  where  everybody  had  been  hospitable.  I  had 
started  before  daybreak,  and  just  as  I  crossed  the  Dan- 
ube the  sun  was  lighting  up  the  rushing  river  and  the 
snowy  banks,  and  gave  no  sign  of  the  shortest  day. 
We  traversed  wide  plains,  with  rocky  mountains  in  the 
distance,  which  gradually  drew  nearer  and  nearer,  till 
we  plunged  into  a  tunnel  and  came  out  again  on  the 
river-side. 

86 


1855  JOURNEY    TO    PESTH 

"  Friday,  22cl — The  most  prominent  hill-tops  were 
generally  chosen  for  churches,  and  the  white  villages 
sometimes  stretched  for  miles  at  their  feet.  These  views, 
a  bright  sun,  and  a  bright  prospect  were  enough  to  make 
a  journey  pleasant.  It  was  getting  dark  as  we  got  into 
Pesth,  and  I  was  let  through  the  custom-house  un- 
searched.  We  got  some  dinn«r  in  a  room  overlooking 
the  river  ;  the  lights  of  the  fortified  castle  in  Buda  shone 
on  it,  and  reminded  me  of  Windsor  from  Eton. 

"Saturday,  23f/.— When  I  awoke  I  found  that  Cadogan 
had  already  arrived.  We  breakfasted  and  crossed  the 
suspension-bridge  to  Mr.  Clarke's  ofl&ce,  where  we  found 
him  and  a  Hungarian,  Avith  whom  we  went  to  look  for 
carriages  ;  but  seeing  the  director  in  Pesth  of  the  Danube 
company,  who  told  us  we  could  go  to  Giurgevo  on  the 
Danube,  we  did  not  require  one. 

"At  three  o'clock  we  dined  at  the  Casino,  or  the  Hun- 
garian Club,  with  Mr.  Clarke,  who  gave  us  a  most  inter- 
esting account  of  the  declaration  of  the  Hungarian  Re- 
public in  1848 — of  the  Hungarian  attack  on  Buda,  and 
the  Austrian  attack  on  Pesth ;  he  described  the  heroism 
of  the  Hungarians  being  almost  equal  to  the  tyranny  of 
the  Austrians. 

"  Sunday,  2Uh. — We  walked  up  over  the  fortifications 
on  the  side  bombarded  by  the  Hungarians,  and  saw  the 
marks  made  by  the  Hungarian  cannon — a  beautiful  alle- 
gorical statue  to  Hertzi  and  418  Austrians  who  had  died 
while  gallantly  defending  the  castle;  from  the  other  side 
we  obtained  a  magnificent  view  of  the  Danube  rushing 
proudly  at  our  feet,  and  the  town  of  Pesth  beyond.  We 
were  shown  the  Houses  of  Parliament,  and  were  told  that 
at  the  recall  of  Hungarian  money  by  the  Austrians,  thou- 
sands of  peasants  kept,  at  their  peril,  all  they  had  left  of 
Hungary.  After  this  walk,  most  agreeable  as  it  had  been, 
we  again  went  to  the  club.     The  manners  were  striking 

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RECOLLECTIONS  1854- 

to  a  degree  —  such  a  dignified  sadness  and  melancholy 
seemed  to  be  on  all. 

''  Monday,  2oth,  Christmas  Day. — At  five  o'clock  on 
Christmas  Day  we  went  on  board  the  Carl  Joseph  for  our 
Danube  voyage  ;  the  sun  warmed  us  up  later  in  the  day, 
and  we  got  sentimental  over  our  pipes  and  drank  our 
friends'  health  in  sour  wine.  The  scenery  we  passed 
through  to-day  was  wild  brushwood,  or  bush  and  wide 
plains  alternately. 

''Tuesday,  26f/i. — More  lovely  than  ever.  "We  sat  on 
deck  nearly  all  day  smoking  pipes  and  drinking  coffee, 
and  watching  flights  of  wild  ducks  and  one  eagle  ;  we 
were  amused  by  a  M.  Renaud,  a  French  consul  on  his 
way  to  his  consulate  at  Belgrade.  At  four  o'clock  we  ar- 
rived at  Peterwardein,  the  great  Austrian  fortress,  which 
certainly  looked  a  most  formidable  place  :  earthworks, 
gabions,  guns,  and  soldiers,  as  if  we  were  going  to  besiege 
them  there  and  then.  A  bright  moonlight  followed  and 
we  stayed  on  deck,  and  Cadogan  sings  and  the  French 
consul  tells  French  stories,  laughs  and  sings  too  till  nine 
o'clock,  when  we  expect  to  arrive  at  Semlin  and  change 
boats.  "We  do  arrive  at  Semlin,  but  do  not  change  boats, 
because  there  is  no  boat  arrived  ;  so  we  go  to  bed  and 
wish  for  morning  and  the  boat.  The  morning  came,  but 
not  the  boat,  so  we  were  fain  to  put  up  with  our  first 
ill-luck.  Regardless  of  mud,  I  walked  into  the  town  of 
Semlin,  or  rather  a  muddy  village,  with  Hungarians, 
Servians,  Greeks,  Turks,  and  gypsies,  all  in  their  various 
costumes.  The  Hungarians  were  wonderfully  pictu- 
resque, mostly  dressed  in  sheepskins,  nearly  all  with  hand- 
some silver  buttons  down  their  waistcoats  and  embroidered 
trousers  ;  long  dark-brown  hair,  hanging  to  their  shoul- 
ders. They  were  rather  dirty,  I  must  confess,  but  that  does 
not  take  off  from  the  picturesque.  The  Austrian  soldiers' 
regimentals  were  a  great  coat  and  a  huge  cartouche  box. 

88 


1855  SZfiCHENYI 

"  Thursday,  2Sth. — We  are  now  approaching  the  rapids 
of  the  Danube,  and  the  enormous  river,  three  miles  broad, 
begins  to  contract  into  a  narrower  stream,  rushing 
through  precipitous  mountains  which  rise  2000  feet  from 
the  Avater's  edge  so  perpendicularly  that  a  stone  dropped 
from  the  top  would  fall  straight  into  the  water.  The 
river  here  still  divides  the  Servian  and  Hungarian  prov- 
inces. On  the  Servian  side  we  see  quite  distinctly  the 
marks  where  the  viaduct  had  once  been — or  rather,  I  be- 
lieve, it  was  a  wooden  gallery  supported  by  poles  fastened 
into  holes  in  the  rock.  Of  course,  nothing  but  the  holes 
at  regular  intervals  are  to  be  seen,  but  these  are  as  if 
they  had  been  made  yesterday.  On  the  Hungarian  side 
is  a  road  blasted  from  the  rock  under  the  superintendence 
of  that  grand  man  Stephen  Szechenyi,  who,  after  having 
accomj)lished  this,  attempted  the  blasting  of  the  rocks 
impeding  the  bed  of  the  river,  established  steam  com- 
munication, built  the  bridge  at  Pesth,  and  after  a  life 
devoted  to  his  country's  good,  in  the  struggle  of  184:8 
went  mad  from  grief,  and  is  now  in  a  mad-house. 

"The  scenery  gets  even  grander  as  we  steam  down- 
ward, from  its  broken  rocks  and  glimpses  into  the  far 
wooded  country  beyond.  Eagles  in  large  numbers  are 
hovering  over  our  heads,  and  grand  birds  they  look  in 
their  mountain  homes, 

"It  was  strange,  seeing  the  telegraph-wires,  the  ex- 
treme of  science  and  civilization,  running  through  this 
wild  country. 

"  The  Valachs  dress  more  like  savages  than  any  we 
have  seen  as  yet — sheepskin  coats  and  caps,  and  wisps  of 
straw  round  their  legs.  "We  saw  a  Greek  priest  with  a 
flowing  white  beard,  a  sine  qua  non,  I  believe,  with  these 
patriarchs  of  the  Church.  Had  a  sumptuous  tea,  and 
some  eggs  and  flour  and  a  black  loaf  to  take  with  us  to- 
morrow. 

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RECOLLECTIONS  1854- 

"  Friday,  2dth. — We  pass  Severin,  the  farthest  point 
reached  by  the  Russians  this  year.  Having  a  heavy 
weight  in  tow  makes  the  steamboat  quiver  like  a  leaf ;  a 
headaclie  is  the  consequence. 

"  Saturday,  'SOth. — At  six  o'clock  we  arrived  at  Giur- 
gevo,  and — and  I  was  going  to  say  landed,  but  if  that 
means  put  on  the  land,  I  cannot  with  a  clear  conscience 
say  it ;  we  were,  however,  mudded  and  slipped  and  slith- 
ered about  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  of  course  straight  out  of 
our  way,  till  we  wallowed  in  among  sentries  and  gabions 
and  fascines,  tumbled  over  Russian  cannon-balls,  fell  into 
Turkish  ditches,  sank  in  Wallachian  mud,  and  finally 
found  ourselves  in  a  hut  with  an  imperturbable  Turk 
smoking  a  chibouque,  and  another  in  bed,  and  then 
turned  round  to  find  our  way  back  to  the  '  Steamboat 
Direction,'  which  at  last  we  started  for  in  the  following 
procession  :  a  Wallachian  carrying  a  small  portmanteau 
and  a  white  mackintosh  of  mine,  which  he  deposited 
every  ten  yards  in  a  favorably  muddy  position  ;  Fred- 
crick  Cadogan  on  all-fours  in  the  mud  ;  I  up  to  my 
knees  in  mud,  too  weak  from  laughing  to  extricate  my- 
self, F.  Cadogan  too  weak  from  laughing  to  get  up,  and 
his  servant,  whom  I  expected  every  minute  to  see  fall,  but 
did  not,  with  a  pile  of  things  on  his  head.  And  so  we 
arrived,  muddy,  blown,  and  exhausted,  in  the  steamboat 
office,  where  all  that  was  kind  was  done  for  us. 

"The  Turkish  commander  sallied  forth  to  give  direc- 
tions to  the  sentries  to  let  us  pass  the  lines  to  Bucharest. 

"  The  English  vice-consul  from  Bucharest  arrived ;  a 
small  man,  with  a  white  felt  hat,  who  only  talked  AVal- 
lachian  ;  and  Mr.  Colquhoun's  head  Albanian  servant. 
He  might  have  been  King  Otho  from  the  magnificence 
of  his  dress,  and  was  King  Otho  and  a  great  deal  more 
in  everything  else. 

''  Carriages  were  sent  for,  and  we  were  given  tea  and 

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1855  JOURNEY    TO    BUCHAREST 

coffee  in  glasses,  and  were  shown  cannon-balls  which  fell 
during  the  siege  of  Ginrgevo  by  the  Turks  in  the  begin- 
ning of  the  year. 

*' Thousands  of  Turks  daily  pass  through  to  the 
Crimea,  and  they  seize  everything  they  Avish  for  and 
give  receipts  for  what  they  have  taken,  which  are  liqui- 
dated by  the  Wallachian  government  at  sight  and  by 
them  recovered  from  the  Turkish  government — that  is  to 
say,  if  they  can  get  it — but  the  Wallachians  are  so  rich 
from  the  fertility  of  their  land,  and  the  large  quantity  of 
grain  raised  from  it,  that  they  can  afford  to  do  nothing, 
and  do  it  most  effectually. 

"  We  were  told  of  the  astonishment  with  which  the 
party  of  fifty  sailors,  commanded  by  Count  Gleichen  and 
Lieutenant  Glyn,  E.N.,  of  the  Britannia,  were  regarded 
by  the  inhabitants  on  their  joining  Omar  Pasha's  troops 
to  make  a  bridge  over  the  Danube. 

"At  nine  o'clock  the  Albanian,  armed  to  the  teeth, 
with  embossed  pistols,  silver-hilted  sword,  and  number- 
less knives,  came  to  tell  us  our  carriages  were  ready. 
We  went  out  into  the  snow,  and  saw — oh  !  such  a  moon ! 
such  a  moon  as  I  never  saw  anywhere  but  on  the  stage  ; 
a  bright  silver  day  it  was,  and  so  clear  that  you  could  see 
into  the  very  skies.  I  do  not  know  how  to  attempt  to 
describe  what  is  indescribable :  an  open  carriage  not  on 
springs,  but  hung  on  leathers,  drawn  by  eight  horses, 
attached  by  a  complication  of  small  bits  of  rope — this 
was  ours,  Cadogan,  myself,  and  the  Albanian  on  the 
box  ;  another,  the  original  glass  coach  in  which  Whit- 
tington  first  drove  to  the  Mansion  House,  was  to  be  filled 
by  Cadogan's  servant  and  our  luggage.  After  shoutings 
and  yellings  from  our  derai- savage  postilion,  we  got 
under  way,  and  began  a  journey  which,  as  'penny-a- 
liners'  say,  'beggars  all  description.' 

"  Imagine  a  huge  moor  fifty  miles  long,  which,  during 

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RECOLLECTIONS  1854- 

the  rainy  season  just  passed,  had  been  cut  up  and 
ploughed  u])  by  two  armies  and  their  stores  passing 
through  it ;  imagine  this  in  a  rich  and  heavy  soil,  then 
add  a  hard  frost,  three  inches  of  snow,  and  incipient 
thaw  from  the  heat  of  the  sun,  with  occasional  morasses, 
ditches,  hillocks,  and  drains  ad  libitum  ;  mix  all  up  to- 
gether with  a  small  oak  brushwood,  and  you  have  our 
route,  which  we  poor  mortals  expected  to  do  in  six  hours. 
Oh,  vanitas  vanitatum  !  after  being  heaved  here  and  bat- 
tered up  there,  and  being  knocked  down  and  partially 
upset  and  always  recovered,  we  arrived  at  2.30  at  a  post- 
house,  which  consisted  of  four  mud  walls,  where  we  lit 
our  pipes,  stretched  ourselves  on  a  mackintosh  before 
the  fire,  and  slept  till  six  o'clock. 

"Saturday  morning,  "ilst.  —  Instead  of  passing  the 
night  quietly  as  we  expected  at  Bucharest,  we  started 
off  and  bumped  and  jumped  up-hill,  over  bridges  of 
wood,  down  ditches,  over  ploughed  fields,  etc.,  till  three 
o'clock,  when  we  draw  near  Bucharest.  We  had  had 
nothing  hardly  to  eat  since  three  o'clock  the  day  be- 
fore, and  we  now  thought  at  least  the  road  into  the 
Wallachian  capital  must  be  good,  and  we  should  finish 
our  journey  of  sixteen  instead  of  six  hours  (as  we  had 
thought);  but  imagine  the  road  into  Bucharest  being 
actually  much  worse  than  ever. 

"Monday,  January  1,  1855. — How  little  does  it  strike 
one  where  each  New-year's  Day  is  to  be  passed — here  at 
Bucharest — how  strange  ! 

''Paddled  about  in  the  mud  all  day  trying  to  find 
anything  worth  looking  at,  in  which  I  signally  failed, 
and  in  the  evening  we  went  to  dine  at  Mr.  Colquhoun's, 
the  English  consul.  We  met  Mr.  Grenville  Murray, 
who  appeared  clever,  cynical,  and  affected,  the  author 
of  'The  Roving  Englishman,'  m  Household  Words;  Mr. 
Sarell,  a  dragoman  from  Constantinople,  who  was  to  be 

92 


1855  MISS    KENNETH 

onr  compagyion  de  voyage ;  and  a  Mr.  Grant.  Onr  con- 
versation was  principally  about  1848  and  the  Walla- 
chians,  and  the  inflnence  exercised  over  them  by  the 
priests  of  the  Greek  Church. 

"After  dinner  we  had  pipes  and  coffee  in  the  Oriental 
fashion,  and  went  to  the  opera  to  hear  the  '  Puritani.' 
The  prima  donna  was  English,  a  Miss  Kenneth,  who 
used  to  sing  at  concerts  in  England  some  years  ago. 
She  told  us  she  had  travelled  last  year  from  Vienna  to 
Bucharest,  through  the  snow  and  frost,  and  was  alive  to 
tell  it. 

"After this  we  went  to  a  ball  at  Count  Cantacuzene's, 
who  had  been  the  Governor  of  Wallachia  in  the  absence 
of  the  present  Prince  Stirbey. 

"Everything  Paris  —  gowns,  manners,  dancing,  lan- 
guage, and  bonbons;  great  luxury,  which  contrasted 
strangely  and  even  painfully  with  the  filthy  barbarism 
out  of  doors.  The  place  is  called  semi-barbarous.  The 
seini  is  certainly  all  in  doors,  and  the  barbarism  out. 
We  were  introduced  to  Prince  A.  Ghika,  the  predecessor 
of  Stirbey,  and  the  Kussian  consul,  who  gave  me  an  in- 
teresting account  of  Bucharest,  its  customs  and  manners, 
and  its  frightful  state  of  public  and  private  morality. 

"  Tuesdaif,  2d. — Breakfasted  with  the  consul-general; 
left  Cadogau,  and  went  out  shopping  with  'lu)ai'i'ric,  or 
Yanni,  the  Albanian,  who  seemed  to  know  everything, 
from  the  depths  of  political  economy  to  the  price  of  tea 
or  the  cleaning  of  a  chibouque.  In  the  evening  dined 
with  M.  Pougade,  who  was  going  to  Tunis,  a  move  which 
was  supposed  to  be  due  to  his  anti-Austrian  opinions. 
He  told  me  some  stories  of  the  Austrian  occupation,  and 
how  the  poor  Valachs  prayed  for  the  return  of  the  Eus- 
sians. 

"  Wednesday,  od.  —  At  the  consul  -  general's  we  met 
Miss  Kenneth  again,  who  sang  charmingly  with  Cadogan 

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UECOLLECTIONS  1854- 

wliile  we  smoked  ;  but  I  was  not  sorry  it  was  our  last 
day  at  Bucharest. 

"  Thursday,  Uh. — I  made  a  feeble  attempt  to  de- 
scribe my  journey  here ;  but  our  departure  was  even 
worse,  for,  with  a  light  carriage  and  eight  horses,  we  had 
to  get  out  and  push  for  half  a  mile  outside  the  town. 

"  My  passport  was  strangely  vised ;  it  set  forth  :  'This 
Captain  Algernon,  having  paid  his  debts  all  at  Bucharest, 
is  hereby  allowed  to  depart  with  eight  horses  of  his  own 
and  carriage.' 

''In  our  short  walk  we  counted  the  remnants  of 
twenty -four  dead  horses.  After  twelve  hours,  'with 
many  shocks  that  come  and  go,  with  agonies  and  ener- 
gies, with  overthrowings,  and  with  cries  and  undulations 
to  and  fro,'  we  arrived  at  an  auherge  at  Giurgevo,  I  made 
a  toasting-fork  of  a  bit  of  firewood  and  warmed  some 
cold  turkey  we  had  brought  from  Bucharest,  ate  it,  and 
so  to  sleep  under  our  blankets  on  the  floor. 

^^  Friday,  bth.  —  After  seeing  a  parade  of  Turkish 
troops,  we — Frederick  Cadogan,  myself,  and  Mr.  Sarell — 
started  in  a  large  caique  to  Eustchuk.  The  Turks  told 
us  we  should  see  many  bodies  of  Eussians  still  nnde- 
cayed;  I  am  afraid  they  told  us  this  with  a  certain 
amount  of  satisfaction,  as  their  creed  is,  that  if  a  man 
remains  long  after  death  undecayed,  he  will  not  go  to 
Allah.  We  saw  no  bodies,  but  only  heaps  of  mud  over 
them.  We  saw  the  tSte-de-2)ont  our  sailors  had  built. 
The  other  side  we  found  three  gorgeously  caparisoned 
Arabs  waiting  for  us.  My  stirrups  being  about  a  foot 
long,  1  rode  without  them,  to  the  amazement  and  mucli 
to  the  fear  of  my  attendant  Cavasses.  Here  we  had  our 
first  audience  with  a  pasha.  As  we  rode  into  his  court- 
yard we  were  astonished  at  the  numbers  of  Turks,  horses, 
officers,  etc.,  asseml)led  there.  Upon  the  landing  out- 
side the  audience-chamber  were  dozens  of  galley-slaves 

94 


1855  CADIKEUI    AND    RASGRAD 

in  heavy  chains,  through  whom  we  passed,  and  entering 
we  found  a  rather  overgrown  and  elderly  gentleman, 
Said  himself,  sitting  cross-legged.  Coffee  in  gold  egg- 
cups  and  handsomely  jewelled  pipes  are  brought  us,  each 
pipe  and  coffee  by  a  separate  man,  who  takes  off  his  slip- 
pers, bows,  and  retires. 

"  We  ride  through  our  first  Turkish  bazaar,  and  as  we 
go  we  hear  the  shrill  muezzin's  cry  :  'There  is  but  one 
God,  and  Mohammed  is  his  prophet.' 

"Leaving  the  town,  we  ride  till  dark  to  Cadikeui,  a 
village,  where  we  see  our  first  Turkish  hotel,  a  low  room 
five  feet  high,  ten  feet  square,  and  bread  and  eggs  only 
for  food.  We  went  to  bed  wretchedly  cold,  and  a  cock 
crew  all  night,  not  once  or  twice,  but,  regardless  of 
all  conventionalities  of  day  or  night,  perpetually  till 
morning. 

"  Saturdaij,  6th. — After  much  packing  and  repacking, 
arranging  and  rearranging  and  disarranging  of  luggage, 
armed,  cloaked,  booted,  and  iced  to  the  teeth,  we  start 
for  a  long  day's  journey  to  Rasgrad,  which  looked  pict- 
uresque and  bright  in  the  evening  sun.  On  one  side  was 
the  hill,  on  the  other  was  a  large  grave-yard — a  city  for 
the  dead  and  a  city  for  the  living. 

"Sunday,  1th. — Rode  all  day;  for  five  hours  through 
rather  a  dull  country,  but  after  that  we  came  to  a  large 
wood,  where  they  tell  us  that  some  days  ago  Omar 
Pasha's  aide-de-camp  was  robbed,  and  we  almost  wished 
somebody  would  attack  us,  for  the  sake  of  the  excite- 
ment of  the  thing.  In  an  hour  more  we  are  ascending  a 
high  hill  covered  with  snow,  and  from  the  top  of  Avhich 
we  see  Shumla  in  all  its  grandeur  of  position. 

"  I  longed  to  be  able  to  draw,  so  fine  and  picturesque 
was  the  view  before  us.  For  miles  stretched  a  long 
train  of  bullock-arabas,  with  Turks  in  flowing  dresses 
and  many-colored  turbans.     At  the  foot  of  the  moun- 

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RECOLLECTIONS  1854- 

tain,  in  a  horseshoe,  lay  Shuinlah,  an  evening  sun  light- 
ing up  its  silvered  minarets  and  showy  mosques.  We 
pass  through  many  formidable-looking  fortifications,  and 
eventually  arrive  inside  the  town.  Distance  does,  indeed, 
lend  enchantment  to  the  view  of  a  Turkish  town — the 
same  filth,  impassable  roads,  dead  horses,  etc.,  as  usual; 
sucli  a  change  from  a  magnificent  view  to  a  miserable 
reality.  Here  we  were  shown  by  a  Greek  priest  to  a 
worse  hole  than  we  had  as  yet  ever  seen,  which,  con- 
sidering the  resources  of  Shumlah,  was  a  little  too  bad ; 
so  for  the  first  time  in  our  journey  (to  our  honor  be  it 
said)  we  took  to  bullying.  We  went  to  the  governor, 
gave  him  our  firman  from  Said  Pasha,  swaggered,  brag- 
gadocioed — he  could  not  read  the  firman,  so  our  drago- 
man read  it  to  him,  and  we  immediately  were  sent  to  an 
excellent  house  belonging  to  a  Bulgarian  merchant,  and 
after  two  hours'  waiting  we  sat  down  with  him  to  a 
really  tolerable  dinner.  He  told  us  that  he  had  found 
out  repeatedly  that  the  amour  propre  of  the  Christian 
was  offended  by  the  Turk,  the  term  'giaour'  and  'dog' 
always  being  applied  to  them,  which  kept  them  away; 
but  he  said  that  when  the  Christians  had  the  same  priv- 
ileges as  the  Turks,  Shumlah  would  fast  rise  in  impor- 
tance. 

*'  Our  plates  were  the  willow  pattern  of  England  ;  our 
host's  dress  made  of  Manchester  cottons  ! 

"  The  luxury  of  the  evening  was  to  follow — viz.,  mat- 
tresses, on  which,  after  having  sewn  some  buttons  on  my 
clothes  and  mended  my  gloves,  I  slept  soundly. 

"Monday,  Sth. — Owing  to  the  above-mentioned  mat- 
tresses it  was  nearly  nine  o'clock  before  we  got  under 
way.  We  had  a  new  travelling  companion  to-day — 
Major  Porter,  a  Binibashi  in  the  Turkish  service  ;  he 
was  on  his  way  to  join  a  new  regiment  to  go  to  the 
Crimea.     I  had  a  great  deal  of  conversation  with  him 

96 


1855  VARNA 

about  the  Turkish  service,  which  he  thought  might  be  a 
very  good  one  were  it  not  for  the  dreadful  peculation 
that  existed  in  all  high  quarters. 

''A  very  picturesque  and  rather  agreeable  day's  ride 
brought  us  in  sight  of  Pravadi,  far  below  us  in  the  val- 
ley ;  how  we  ever  got  down  to  it  with  whole  limbs  is  a 
mystery  to  me  to  this  day.  We  went  all  the  way  down 
on  ice ;  the  direction  given  to  us  by  our  Tartar  was  to 
leave  the  horses  to  themselves  and  to  look  after  our- 
selves ;  but  as  my  horse,  among  its  other  qualifications, 
was  stone-blind  and  evinced  a  decided  partiality  for  go- 
ing over  the  precipice,  I  disobeyed,  and  we  slipped  and 
stumbled  for  half  an  hour  down  (what  appeared  to  me) 
pathless  precipices  of  ice. 

''We  ended  our  day  in  a  house  much  the  same  as 
usual ;  twelve  Turkish  soldiers  had  been  there  the  night 
before.  After  some  pilaff  and  some  strong  Bulgarian 
wine,  we  go  to  sleep  in  a  thick  smoke,  which  gives  us 
headaches  and  sore  throats. 

"Tuesday,  Wi. — At  daybreak  we  started  our  last  long 
ride  to  Varna,  our  horses  more  miserable  than  ever  ;  our 
ride  lasted  all  this  day  through  a  country  which  in  the 
spring  had  been  occupied  by  our  troops,  and  through  the 
so-called  Valley  of  the  Shadow  of  Death.  And  no  wonder  I 
It  looked  a  place  set  apart  for  disease — miles  of  stagnant 
water  and  marsh  reached  from  Devna  up  to  Varna.  On 
our  road  we  met  Beiram  Pasha  (General  Cannon)  on  his 
way,  I  believe,  to  Bucharest.  For  miles  in  the  distance 
we  saw  Varna,  where  a  glimpse  of  the  sea,  covered  with 
ships  or  steamers,  made  one  feel  almost  at  home  again  ; 
it  seemed  like  a  mirage  of  the  desert,  seen  but  never 
reached.  Five  hours  we  vainly  endeavored,  and  at  last 
succeeded  in  entering  its  gates.  Through  all  this  coun- 
try we  had  as  yet  not  seen  a  trace  of  the  English  camp, 
save  a  stray  sheet  of  some  regimental  order-book,  stating 
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RECOLLECTIONS  1854- 

tliat  there  was  to  be  a  ball  at  the  French  Embassy,  and 
that  the  white  covers  had  arrived  for  the  men's  shakos ! 

'MVe  had  heard  so  much  of  Varna  in  the  spring.  We 
go  to  the  English  consuTs  house,  where,  tired  to  death, 
we  sleep  that  niglit ;  and  on  Wednesday  we  went  out 
and  got  our  first  impression  of  the  place.  An  odd  one  it 
was,  too  ;  we  found  ourselves  up  to  our  knees  in  mud  in 
Belgrave  Square,  and  wallowing  as  we  came  to  Cadogan 
riace.  The  main  street  was  the  '  Corso,'  and  there  were 
many  cafes — '  Cafe  de  4  Nations,  A  la  ville  de  Marseille/ 
and  '  Here  you  may  eat  bread  and  beer  by  the  portion, 
also  potage.' 

"French,  English,  Bulgarian,  Turkish,  and  Italian 
were  the  prevailing  languages. 

"At  twelve  o'clock  we  saw  Omar  Pasha,  a  magnificent- 
looking  man,  very  like  his  picture  in  the  Illustrated 
Neivs.  He  gave  me  his  signature,  and  wrote  under  it : 
'A  Souvenir  from  Varna.'  He  received,  when  with  us,  a 
despatch  stating  that  the  Russians  had  recrossed  the 
Danube  at  Tultcha,  a  reconnoitring  party  probably  he 
thought  it.  We  went  on  the  quay,  a  scene  of  bustle  and 
activity,  quite  wonderful  ;  stores  and  provisions  for  the 
Turkish  troops  were  being  shipped  under  the  superin- 
tendence of  some  Polish  officer,  who  was  activity  itself, 
now  pushing  a  Turk  on,  now  lifting  sacks  himself,  then 
jumping  on  his  horse  to  fetch  more  provisions.  They 
were  fine  -  looking  troops,  Egyptians,  the  defenders  of 
Silistria.  Ophthalmia  appeared  to  have  made  great  rav- 
ages among  them,  which  did  not  improve  their  appear- 
ance, but  did  not  make  them  much  the  worse  soldier, 
Cyclopes  though  they  were. 

"  Thursday. — After  dinner  at  the  English  consul's  we 
went  on  board  the  Simla — horses  were  being  hoisted  on 
her  decks  to  the  popular  air,  '  Pop  Goes  the  Weasel  !' 
How  strange  to  hear  it  in  the  Black  Sea  !     We  started 

98 


1855  ON    THE    BLACK    SEA 

apparent!}'  in  a  calm,  but  suddenly  we  began  a  tremendous 
rolling.  Imagine  IGOO  infuriated  Ethiopian  banjo  artists 
playing  just  over  your  head,  and  you  will  have  a  faint 
conception  of  the  noise  the  miserable  horses  made  ;  not 
a  pleasant  accompaniment  to  go  to  bed  with,  which  I  did 
directly  and  stayed  there  nearly  uninterruptedly  over 
Friday  and  till  Saturday,  when  to  our  joy  we  arrived  in 
Cossacks  Bay  in  time  to  eat  some  dinner,  after  which  we 
walked  on  deck  and  watched  the  firing  from  Sebastopol, 
much  in  the  same  way  as  in  summer  one  watches  the 
rockets  from  Vauxhall  in  Belgrave  Square.  It  was  too 
bitterly  cold,  though,  to  watch  them  long,  so  to  bed,  and 
on  Sunday  morning  went  from  our  ship,  the  Simla,  in  a 
heavy  swell  on  board  H.M.S.  Miranda  (Captain  Lyons). 
Everybody  here,  as  elsewhere,  was  most  good-natured. 
We  dined  in  the  gun-room  at  three  o^clock.  The  prettiest 
imaginable  sight  was  the  French  harbor ;  the  snow  had 
fallen  in  the  night  six  inches,  and  the  rigging  of  all  the 
French  transports  was  a  most  beautiful  net-work  of  snow 
and  ice,  and  icicles  hanging  from  the  sides  of  the  vessels. 
Sat  in  Captain  Lyons's  cabin,  where  we  slept  most  com- 
fortably. In  the  morning  of  Monday  Sir  Edmund  Lyons 
came  on  board  with  Dick  Pearson,  whom  I  had  known 
at  Eton.  "Went  on  shore  with  them,  where  we  found  some 
horses  Avaiting  for  us  from  headquarters.  We  rode 
through  the  French  camp  on  a  beautiful  road.  Every- 
thing seemed  in  good  order,  the  sick  on  their  mule-am- 
bulances, one  on  each  side  of  the  mule  on  a  chair,  seemed 
as  comfortable  as  they  could  be  in  the  circumstances,  the 
mules  looking  well  fed  and  strong. 

"Arrived  at  General  Canrobert's  headquarters,  where 
Cadogan  wished  to  and  did  see  St.  George  Foley  and 
Claremont.  We  waited  five  minutes,  and  on  to  Lord 
Eaglan's  headquarters,  where  we  saw  him  and  Tom  Steel 
and  Leicester  Curzon.     Here  I  left  Cadogan  and  walked 

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UECOLLECTIONS  1854- 

on  to  Balaclava;  it  seemed  as  if  I  was  entering  a  new 
country  tlie  moment  I  left  Lord  Kaglan's.  Up  to  it  on 
the  French  side  all  appeared  neat,  orderly,  and  well  ar- 
ranged ;  but  on  our  side  I  was  sorry  to  see  confusion, 
starved  horses,  filthy  quagmires,  and  dead  animals  all 
the  way.  I  soon  met  Richard  Glyn  and  Burnaby  coming 
out  from  a  foraging  expedition,  with  candles,  bread,  fry- 
ing-pans, cheese,  and  bottles,  I  left  them,  promising  to 
go  to  camp  to-morrow.  Met  Plunkett  Burton,  to  whom 
we  talked,  and  arrived  at  the  house  where  Jervoise  Smith 
and  St.  Leger  Glyn  had  been,  and  where  I  was  to  live.  It 
had  formerly  been  the  house  of  the  Russian  Commander 
of  Balaclava,  and  all  his  furniture  and  pictures  were  taken 
care  of  for  him.  Found  there  was  to  be  a  dinner-party, 
whicli  consisted  of  Colonel  Ilardinge  (Commandant  of 
Balaclava),  Major  Hall,  and  Captain  Henley,  a  new  ar- 
rival. To  describe  the  place  would  require  at  least  the 
pen  of  Dickens.  Higgledy-piggledy,  jumbledy-tumbledy, 
happy-go-lucky,  as  I  heard  it  described,  falls  far  short  of 
the  miserable  reality.  Three  or  four  of  the  houses  of 
the  town  were  occupied  by  sutlers,  who  sold  beer,  boots, 
coats,  brandy,  wine,  etc.,  at  about  400  per  cent,  profit. 
Cursing  and  swearing  to  an  amount  incredible ;  pushing 
of  mules  and  half-starved  ponies  ;  overladen  men,  dead 
Turks,  and  artillery  -  wagons,  stared  one  in  the  face  at 
every  turn.  This  was  my  first  view  of  Balaclava.  Jer- 
voise Smith,  who  had  seen  a  man  flogged  in  the  morning, 
and  had  seen  bodies  floating  in  the  harbor  witliout  heads, 
was  now  rejoiced  to  see  us,  as  he  had  given  us  up.  "W^ith 
a  report  that  Liprandi,  with  strong  reinforcements,  was 
going  to  march  upon  Balaclava  en  echelon;  with  the  dis- 
tant booming  of  guns,  with  the  challenge  in  the  streets, 
Avith  a  sentry  periodically  telling  us  "all's  well" — with 
these  noises,  sights,  and  thoughts,  an  ample  field  for  re- 
flection, I  fell  asleep. 

100  , 


1855  VIEW    OF    SEBASTOFOL 

"  Tuesday. — The  snow  had  fallen  fast  all  night,  and 
was  falling  faster  when  Jervoise  Smith  and  myself  stag- 
gered through  the  streets,  with  the  snow  drifting  all  over 
ns  and  freezing  on  our  faces,  to  try  and  reach  the  camp  of 
the  First  Division.  The  tracks — I  cannot  say  roads — were 
quite  obliterated  in  the  drifts,  and,  with  our  haversacks 
and  a  couple  of  newly  slain  chickens,  sinking  nearly  every 
step  to  our  knees,  we  were  nearly  dead  -  beat  before  we 
reached  headquarters,  only  about  four  or  five  miles. 
Went  to  Glyn  and  Chetwode's  tent,  who  formed  Lord 
Eaglan's  cavalry  escort,  where  we  ate  biscuits  and  cheese 
and  drank  cherry-brandy,  and  smoked.  Fearing  that  we 
should  be  benighted,  we  start.  As  ill  luck  would  have  it, 
we  lose  our  way  for  some  time,  but  eventually  we  pitch 
upon  a  sapper  sergeant,  with  some  Turks  carrying  gabions, 
whom  we  follow.  The  Turkish  officer,  upon  coming  in 
sight  of  Sebastopol,  lifted  up  his  hands  and  uttered  the 
most  solemn  curse  upon  it ;  and  I  must  confess,  although 
I  did  not  do  it  so  theatrically,  I  felt  it  just  as  deeply 
when  I  thought  of  all  the  misery,  bloodshed,  and  pain  of 
which  it  had  been  and  would  be  the  cause.  We  found 
near  here  a  wretched  Zouave,  who  had  been  drinking, 
and  was  frozen  in  the  snow.  We  got  him  on  his  legs 
between  us,  and  after  rubbing  his  frost  -  bitten  hands  in 
the  snow  for  about  ten  minutes,  the  blood  began  to  re- 
circulate, which  gave  him  such  pain  that  he,  poor  fellow, 
burst  into  tears,  and  began  to  bless  us  and  thank  us  as  a 
Frenchman  could  only  thank  an  Englishman.  General 
Airey  and  Jervoise,  whom  we  hailed,  who  were  riding  by, 
went  and  fetched  Zouaves  from  the  French  camp  to  carry 
him  away,  which,  after  swearing  at  him  and  thanking  us, 
they  did. 

"  At  last,  after  many  difficulties,  and  dreadfully  tired, 
we  arrived  at  the  camp  of  the  First  Division.  We  found 
some  of  the  Grenadiers — Bathurst,  Prince  Edward,  Hig- 

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RECOLLECTIONS  1854- 

ginsoii,  etc, — inspecting  some  mules  being  unpacked. 
They  showed  us  Burnaby's  tent,  where  we  were  delighted 
to  hear  dinner  was  just  ready.  We  did  ample  justice  to 
it  when  it  did  come,  and  afterwards  Balgonie,  Hamilton, 
and  Clayton  came  in  ;  but  wc  were  nearly  done,  and  glad 
to  lie  down  at  about  eight  o'clock  for  the  night.  We  had 
uncommon  little  clothing  for  three,  and  the  fire,  of 
course,  went  out,  all  of  which  circumstances  combined  to 
make  us  tolerably  cold ;  but  a  hot  breakfast  and  lovely 
morning  cured  us,  and  Burnaby,  Jervoise  Smith,  Hamil- 
ton, Balgonie,  and  I  went  out  to  see  the  field  of  Inker- 
man.  We  passed  through  the  camp  of  the  Second  Divis- 
ion, where  we  saw  a  regiment  on  parade,  and  a  band,  to 
which  we  listened  ;  it  played  an  old  polka,  but  the  associ- 
ations were  pleasant,  and  I  regretted  that  there  were  not 
more  bands  to  kill  the  time  which  must  hang  so  heavily 
on  our  poor  soldiers'  hands. 

"We  first  came  upon  a  French  battery,  which  we  en- 
tered, and  from  it  took  a  view  of  Sebastopol  and  the  sur- 
rounding country  ;  leaving  it,  we  went  to  the  Sand-bag 
Battery,  scene  of  the  gallant  struggle  of  November  5th, 

when 

"  'Jolin,  Pat,  and  Sandy 

Met  General  Liprandi, 

And  a  jolly  good  licking  he  got.' 

'Here  McKinnon  lay,' and  'there  poor  Cathcart  died'; 
'  Neville  and  Blair  were  wounded  just  down  there,'  gave 
it  a  terrible  reality.  We  heard  a  good  description  of  the 
whole  thing  from  the  first  moment  to  the  last ;  we  had 
three  officers  of  the  regiment  most  hotly  engaged  on  that 
bloody  day. 

"  The  Russians  have  now  got  a  battery  on  th  ruins  of 
Inkerman,  Avhich  they  perpetually  reminded  us  of  by  fir- 
ing, not  at  us,  but  parallel  to  us  upon  our  right,  and 
down  the  valley  of  the  Tchernaya  upon  men  gathering 

102 


1855  THE    GUARDS'    CAMP 

fnel  below.  The  shot  and  shell  made  a  tremendous  row 
as  they  whizzed  through  the  air,  and  I  plead  guilty  to 
perpetually  bobbing  my  head  for  the  first  half-hour.  We 
saw  some  Cossacks  riding  along  the  valley  and  an  in- 
fantry regiment  marching  in  the  direction  of  Sebastopol. 
AYe  found  some  Russian  great-coats,  one  saturated  in 
blood,  all  too  heavy  to  take  away  as  trophies  ;  but  we  cut 
off  some  buttons  and  shoulder-straps,  picked  up  a  few 
cartouche -boxes  and  cross-belts.  I  must  say  it  struck 
me,  even  in  my  perfect  ignorance  of  Avar  or  its  art,  as 
an  odd  thing  that  such  ground  should  be  left  in  so  un- 
defended a  state,  covered  with  high  oak  brushwood,  a 
perfect  place  of  concealment,  and  unfortified,  especially 
after  Sir  de  Lacy  Evans's  fears.  But  it  is  over  now. 
How  many  gallant  fellows  suffered  from  it  then  !  and 
how  many  still  suffer  from  it  at  home,  is  enough  to  make 
one's  heart  ache  to  think  of  ! 

"We  went  to  see  different  men  in  different  parts  of 
the  camp,  among  others  Francis  Baring  and  Robert  Lind- 
say ;  they  were,  or  rather  Francis  Baring  was,  eating  his 
dinner,  preparatory  to  going  in  the  trenches.  Went  out 
to  see  the  parties  start,  and  one  did  not  know  whether  to 
laugh  or  cry  at  their  appearance  ;  the  former  being  the 
more  cheerful  of  the  two  operations,  we  did  that.  The 
men  had  sheepskin  coats  on,  some  from  Hungary,  some 
from  London,  some  white,  some  brown,  some  black, 
mostly  embroidered  ;  quaint  to  a  degree  they  all  looked  ; 
they  marched  off,  Avarm  at  any  rate.  The  drummers 
Avith  the  stretchers  looked  cruelly  businesslike.  I  heard 
that  2000  men  Avere  in  the  trenches  every  night  and  no 
doctor  !  *  Credo  quia  possibile  '  should  be  everybody's 
motto  here. 

"Balgonie,  Georgie  Gordon,  Burnaby,  and  Ave  dined 
together.  We  had  soup,  hare,  champagne,  two  pud- 
dings, etc.,  to  say  nothing  of  dessert.    We  had  plenty  of 

103 


11  ECOL  LECTIONS  1854- 

sheepskin  coats  that  day  served  out  ;  their  smell  was  not 
pleasant  but  their  warmth  was,  and  we  slept  soundly,  not- 
withstanding some  heavy  firing  on  the  French  all  night. 

''  On  Thursday  morning  we  started  from  the  Guards' 
camp.  How  changed  from  those  Guards  I  had  seen 
leave  London  ten  montiis  ago,  in  all  the  pride  of  power 
and  glory  of  health  !  Of  the  thirty  officers  of  the  Scots 
Fusilier  Guards  I  shook  hands  with  in  town,  six  were 
there  then ;  220  out  of  880,  who  left  cheering  and 
cheery,  and  singing  and  well  dressed,  to  say  nothing  of 
reinforcements.  How  dirty  and  dull,  unshaven,  some  in 
caps,  some  in  bear-skins,  etc. ! 

*' We  heard  much  praise  of  my  old  friend  Stevenson 
Blackwood,  and  his  work  and  care  for  his  division. 

"  I  walked  to  headquarters  with  Jervoise  Smith,  saw 
Steel  and  Curzon,  and  went  to  see  General  Scarlett, 
whom  I  found  with  Willie  Scarlett,  who  looked  well  and 
much  improved  by  his  beard  ;  they  lived  in  a  house, 
where  I  settled  to  dine  on  the  morrow. 

"  On  the  next  day,  after  many  difficulties,  Blackwood, 
whom  I  found  in  Balaclava,  succeeded  in  getting  me  a 
pony,  on  which  I  rode  with  Burnaby  to  Cadikeui,  where 
we  saw  some  Russian  prisoners  who  did  his  washing  for 
him  ;  they  gave  ns  coffee,  and  we  went  on  to  sec  Robert 
Hay,  Avho  with  some  others  was  gabion-making;  he  was 
out,  but  I  saw  Turner,  of  the  Guards,  and  Dolly  Vane, 
who  told  me  a  story  of  dynastic  revolutions  and  imperial 
changes  in  the  Press,  of  wliich  I  did  not  understand  one 
word.  The  last  time  I  had  seen  him,  we  dined  together 
in  the  autumn  with  Jesse;  quantum  mnfafKs!  Rode 
back  through  the  cavalry  camp,  which  seemed  'getting 
on'  a  little,  but  was  a  melancholy  sight.  Found  a  pony 
Avaiting  for  me  to  ride  to  General  Scarlett's  on ;  so  after 
dressing,  which  consisted  in  liaving  my  jack-boots 
greased,  I  started.     The   roads  were   worse  than   ever 

104 


1855  AN    UNPLEASANT    RIDE 

from  the  thaw,  with  great  ditches  right  across  them, 
but  I  succeeded  in  getting  in  time  for  dinner  never- 
theless. General  and  Willie  Scarlett,  Alec  Elliot  and 
Conolley,  his  aides-de-camp,  there;  an  agreeable  and 
not  a  bad  dinner.  It  seemed  a  cause  of  general  regret 
that  we  had  dela3'ed  our  attack  on  the  town  so  long 
after  Alma  ;  every  one  says  it  would  have  been  taken 
even  without  opposition.  They  talked  of  the  cavalry 
charge,  and  said  that  the  toAvn  was  getting  a  harder  nut 
to  crack  each  day. 

*'I  went  away;  not  a  nicfe  prospect,  I  must  confess, 
for  the  night  was  pitch  dark.  I  knew  I  had  three 
ditches,  to  say  nothing  of  holes  and  stones,  and  one 
bridge  between  me  and  the  burial-ground.  However,  it 
was  to  be  done  ;  so  I  whistled  and  went  boldly  on ;  the 
road  was  lighted  up  by  the  flashing  of  the  guns  firing  on 
the  French  trenches.  I  thought  it  odd  that  all  was  so 
solitary,  when  turning  the  last  corner  into  Balaclava  I 
came  upon  a  sentry,  and  I  don't  know  which  of  us  was 
the  more  frightened,  he  or  I. 

"  I  found  Colonel  Hardinge  in  despair  ;  he  had  been 
bustling  about  all  day,  had  fixed  a  site  for  a  bazaar,  and 
had  ordered  all  the  sutlers  to  move  there,  and  had  just 
got  a  letter  from  Assistant  Adjutant-General  Gordon  to 
say  that  it  seemed  hard,  and  suggested  that  a  fortnight's 
more  time  might  be  given  to  the  rich  sutlers  to  move 
out — lie  said  he  had  had  no  authority  left  for  the  future, 
they  would  laugh  at  him.  These  rich  robbers,  who  con- 
fess to  making  £200  a  day,  were  allowed  to  stay  in  the 
houses,  while  our  Minie  rifles,  stores,  etc.,  were  lying 
rotting  in  the  mud  for  want  of  store.  How  disgusting ! 
No  wonder  everybody  grumbles.  Tremendous  firing  all 
night ;  fully  expected  an  attack  on  Balaclava,  but  slept 
notwithstanding. 

"Saturday. — After  breakfast  with  Anderson,  a  lieu- 

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RECOLLECTIONS  1854- 

tenaiit  of  the  *  Sanspareil,'  we  try  to  get  to  the  front; 
but  I  had  a  mule,  jukI  ho  power,  civil  or  military,  could 
make  him  move;  the  consequence  was  I  lost  my  temper, 
and  set  it  all  down  to  the  mismanagement  of  the  army 
in  not  providing  a  road.  At  last  I  got  Ridley's  pony  and 
rode  over  the  Woronzow  road.  We  saw  the  Cossacks 
and  the  Russian  vedettes  not  far  off ;  the  graves  of  the 
Heavies,  and  the  scene  of  their  gallant  charge.  We 
came  upon  some  Zouaves  making  a  road,  which  they  told 
us,  laughing  as  usual,  was  to  go  to  Sebastopol.  Started 
to  see  Gordon's  battery,  picket-house,  and  trenches ;  not 
a  very  clear  day  for  it,  so  much  the  less  chance  of  being 
shot  by  the  Muscovs  from  the  picket-house.  We  saw  a 
very  good  general  view  of  the  trenches  and  the  town. 
From  this  point  we  might  easily  have  walked  to  the 
town  on  cannon-balls,  shot,  and  shell.  We  got  inside 
Gordon's  battery,  which  is  quite  close  to  the  town,  from 
which  we  could  distinctly  see  into  the  place,  sliips  and 
all,  people  walking  about  ;  a  Russian  battery,  with  three 
men  in  the  embrasures,  was  just  opposite  to  us.  As  we 
went  away  we  heard  one  or  two  bullets  whistle  over  our 
heads,  and  we  saw  Colonel  Montresor,  who  said  a  bullet 
had  just  struck  the  ground  by  his  feet.  I  had  never 
been  potted  before,  but  it  did  not  seem  a  bit  odd  and 
was  not  very  alarming.  AVe  walked  back  and  watched 
some  burials  of  the  Second  Division  men,  and  went  to 
dine  with  Stevenson  Blackwood,  who  had  a  mud  house 
and  gave  us  a  sumptuous  repast.  While  we  were  at 
dinner  there  was  a  great  clatter  among  the  plates  out- 
side, caused  by  a  cheery  Zouave,  who  said  he  had  'found 
himself  lost '  on  his  way  to  the  mill.  He  came  in,  and 
we  gave  him  a  glass  of  wine  to  drink  a  toast  with.  He 
said  '  A  la  reine  Victoria,  vivent  les  Anglais ' ;  we  said, 
'  et  vivent  les  Zouaves' ;  he  said,  'je  ne  bois  pas  done,' 
and  stoutly  refused  to  drink  till  we  settled  to  drink  first 

106 


l/i(f< 


1855  AT    HEADQUARTERS 

to  Ma  Reine  et  les  Anglais/  and  then  'les  Zouaves  et 
les  Frangais.'  He  then  said  he  woukl  give  us  an  ac- 
count of  Alma,  which  he  did  most  amusingly ;  then  got 
up  and  went  out  to  find  the  mill,  where  we  directed 
him.  It  was  getting  late,  and  Burnaby  and  myself 
had  a  longish  walk  through  the  snow  and  'found  our- 
selves lost';  but  stumbled  up  against  Henry  de  Bathe, 
who  told  us  that  Cuddie  Ellison's  and  Balgouie's  tent 
had  just  been  burned  down.  He  amused  us  by  telling 
how  Cuddie  Ellison  bore  it.  He  was  playing  whist,  and 
was  told  a  tent  was  on  fire  ;  he  took  his  pipe  out  of  his 
mouth  and  said,  '  I  shouldn't  be  surprised  if  it  were  my 
tent,  I  am  so  d — d  unlucky  !'  They  went  to  see,  and  he 
said,  abstractedly,  'Just  the  direction;  it  is  my  tent' — 
and  smoked  his  pipe  as  cheerily  as  ever. 

"  In  the  morning  went  to  see  Robert  Hay,  who  had 
just  returned  from  detachment ;  sat  with  him.  He  ap- 
peared well  and  tolerably  happy ;  he  had  lost  all  his 
friends  at  Inkerman,  but  was  more  cheerful  than  I 
should  have  expected. 

''  With  Balgonie,  Burnaby,  and  Blackwood  to  head- 
quarters ;  on  to  Balaclava.  Got  Christie's  gig  and  rowed 
from  ship  to  ship  in  the  harbor,  and  returned  to  church, 
which  I  reached  very  late.  Afterwards  to  dinner  with 
Bingham  and  Messrs.  Beattie  and  Campbell,  two  en- 
gineers for  the  railway. 

"Monday. — After  great  difficulty  got  a  pony  from 
Kinloch,  and  rode  with  Anderson  to  headquarters ;  saw 
Dick  Glyn,  Chetwode,  Nigel  Kingscote,  Tom  Steel, 
Leicester  Curzon.  Had  luncheon,  and  heard  of  poor 
young  Spalding's  death  ;  he  had  his  head  shot  away 
in  the  sailor's  battery.  Went  to  see  Maxse,  and  on  a 
beautiful  road  homeward  ;  but  our  beautiful  road  came 
to  an  end  —  nothing  less  than  a  precipice.  Anderson, 
sailor-like,  said  it  was  nothing,  and  got  off,  saying  our 

107 


RECOLLECTIONS  1854- 

ponies  would  slip  clown  all  right.  Eight  horses  lay  dead 
at  the  bottom.  We  started,  and  the  ponies  slipped  from 
top  to  bottom,  tail  first  most  of  the  way.  I  dined  at  five 
o'clock,  passing  through  the  left  of  the  cavalry  by  the 
horse  artillery,  much  the  best  part  of  the  camp  I  have 
seen  yet — a  road  and  ditch  by  the  side,  and  the  horses 
jn-otected  from  the  cold.  Went  on  board  the  Orient, 
and  dined  with  Captain  Christie,  and  saw  some  liussian 
trophies  and  Simpson's  sketches,  which  were  very  good. 
Among  them  was  one  of  a  burying -party  of  the  83d 
Eegiment.  It  had  come  out  1800  strong,  and  only  forty 
available  men  returned  with  their  colors. 

"  Home,  and  found  Jervoise  and  Ilardinge,  who  told 
us  a  fine  story  of  Sir  George  Brown,  who,  when  he  had 
come  up  to  the  field  at  Inkerman,  rode  ahead  of  his 
division,  and  said  to  Pennefather,  'You  have  been  out 
here  first;  I  put  myself  under  your  orders.'  A  fine 
thing  for  a  man — a  martinet  by  reputation,  too  I 

"  Went  to  sleep  for  the  last  time  in  the  Crimea. 

"  Ben  Stephenson  came  to  breakfast,  as  good  uatured, 
cheerful,  and  jolly  as  ever  ;  walked  with  me  to  the  Ara- 
bia.  Saw  Jocelyn,  just  well,  and  going  up  to  camp 
again.  We  waited  for  Frederick  Cadogan  some  time, 
and  in  my  passage  and  waiting  I  had  at  last  some  time 
to  think  of  all  I  had  heard  and  seen  in  the  Crimea. 

"  When  I  left  England  I  expected  to  find  hardships, 
but  was  not  prepared  to  find  such  universal  discontent, 
abuse,  grumbling  from  highest  to  lowest.  I  was  sorry, 
too,  to  see  with  my  own  eyes  so  much  gross  mismanage- 
ment, or  rather  no  management  at  all — no  method,  no 
system,  no  arrangement,  no  head;  the  Commissariat  dis- 
organized ;  the  whole  army  nearly  so  too,  I  fear.  The 
chief  evil  seems  the  road,  or  rather  no  road ;  this  must 
be  the  cause  of  want  of  provision,  overworked  horses, 
many  losses  of  temper,  dirt,  wet,  and  consequent  sick- 

108 


1855  THE    BOSPIiORUS 

ness,  and  yet  there  can  be  no  excuse,  since  for  two 
months  they  have  had  lovely  weather  and  a  good  road, 
which  has  gradually,  day  by  day,  got  worse  and  worse 
without  any  attempt  at  preventing  it.  The  road,  too, 
being  in  a  stone  country,  removes  any  difficulties;  the 
excuse  'want  of  men'  is  childish  to  a  degree,  because 
it  was  the  one  thing  needful.  The  soldiers  are  the  most 
miserably  helpless  creatures  you  ever  saw;  like  babies, 
they  would  rather  eat  their  rations  raw  than  trouble 
themselves  to  cook  them.  The  painful  and  humiliating 
thing  is  the  contrast  between  the  French  army  and  ours 
— in  fact,  to  confess  an  unpleasant  truth,  we  are  at  pres- 
ent only  a  brigade,  and  a  very  inefficient  one,  of  the 
French  army.  So  much  abuse  must  have  some  founda- 
tion— not  one  person  but  said  that  Sebastopol  would  have 
fallen  almost  without  resistance  had  they  advanced  after 
the  Alma. 

"Wednesday. — At  eight  o'clock  we  had  done  our  dis- 
tance, but  till  two  o'clock  we  could  not  find  the  Bos- 
phorus  for  a  fog ;  but  we  did  at  three  o'clock  enter  it, 
and  very  grand  it  was.  How  glad  to  be  in  calm  water 
once  more  !  Last  night  I  passed  next  door  to  a  poor 
fellow  who  had  dreams  or  nightmare,  or  fever,  and  went 
on  talking  to  '  Bono  Johnnie,  Bono  Bono  sick,  Inglese 
officer  locked  up  here,  Johnnie  Bono  Johnnie.'  Poor 
fellow,  it  was  very  sad. 

"  I  went  on  deck,  and  a  grand  sight  it  Avas  as  we 
steamed  down  the  Bosphorus.  We  saw  Mount  Olympus 
and  lovely  hills,  dark  cypresses,  mosques,  minarets, 
seraglios,  and  palaces  lining  the  sides,  and  in  ten  min- 
utes we  were  at  anchor  off  Scutari,  and  about  passing 
by  Leander's  Tower.  We  scrambled  up  to  the  Hotel 
d'Angleterre  just  in  time  for  dinner.  What  a  curious 
party  to  meet  at  Constantinople!  —  Ashley  Ponsonby, 
Seymour  Damer,  Kinloch,  Jolliffe,   cum   muUis  aliisj 

109 


RECOLLECTIONS  1854- 

but  it  was  most  agreeable,  and  we  went  up-stairs,  smoked 
ill  Seymour's  room,  and  early  to  bed. 

"Thursdaji. — Went  to  the  bazaar  witli  Cadogan  and 
Kinloch — a  curious  and  agreeable  place  to  lounge  a  few 
hours  away  in.  It  is  the  fashion  to  talk  of  the  external 
beauties  of  Constantinople  and  its  internal  horrors  ;  but 
after  where  I  have  been,  it  strikes  one  as  Regent  Street 
to  Bucharest,  as  Paradise  to  Balaclava,  and  I  liked  it 
accordingly.  Had  a  Turkish  bath,  a  curiosity  in  itself; 
met  Ilugliy  Drummond,  Jolliffe,  and  Seymour  Damer 
there.  I  could  not  walk  on  pattens,  which  is  a  neces- 
sary process,  and  fell  an  awful  smash  on  the  pavement 
and  could  not  get  up  again;  drank  lemonade  and  coffee 
and  smoked  chibouques.  Dressed  and  went  home  to 
dinner;  after  which  we  all  smoked,  first  in  my  room, 
and  then  in  Ashley  Ponsonby's,  and  talked  of  all  they 
had  seen  and  done. 

"Friday. — A  lovely  day.  After  bargaining  with  Ca- 
dogan and  Kinloch,  got  into  a  caique.  Oh,  what  lux- 
ury !  the  first  real  luxury  since  I  left  England — a  sum- 
mer sun  and  a  smooth  sea,  and  a  view  only  too  beautiful. 
Lying  on  one's  back  with  a  hot  sun  and  a  cigar  is  per- 
fect happiness,  and  I  got  it  for  half  an  hour,  till  our 
arrival  at  Scutari.  Went  to  see  Wardrop,  and  with  him 
to  see  the  hospitals,  the  brightest  part  of  my  sight-see- 
ing. I  might  have  expected  to  find  dirt,  confusion,  want 
of  comfort,  and  bad  accommodation  ;  but  contrariwise, 
I  found  perfect  ventilation,  good  stoves,  beds,  luxuries 
of  all  kinds,  and,  above  all,  universal  contentment.  Oh, 
what  a  change  from  the  well  at  Crimea  to  the  ill  here  ! 
There  was  one  consolation :  I  had  seen  the  worst  at  the 
one  and  the  best  at  the  other.  I  spoke  to  many  of  the 
sick,  and  they  told  me,  one  and  all,  that  they  were  com- 
fortable and  well  attended  to.  This  is  the  bright  side  ; 
the  dark  one  is  the  number  of  dead  we  saw — I  believe 

110 


cixJJUAJ^i-nmK'  aJSc^     ht.O/t'i/^ 


(^^^'l/XJL' 


1855  SCUTARI 

forty  deaths  a  day  is  the  lowest  average.  From  the  hospital 
we  went  to  another  a  little  higher  up.  Passed  over  the 
qaondam  camp  of  the  First  Division  by  our  grave-yard 
and  the  Turks';  the  Bosphorus  in  sight,  and  dark  cypress 
groves  behind,  made  it  very  picturesque.  This  hospital 
as  good  as  the  other.  Saw  Percy  here,  and  coming  down 
we  saw  Lord  Rokeby,  General  Barnard,  and  Harry  Kep- 
pel ;  Lord  Rokeby  looking  wonderfully  well,  and  of 
course  as  pleasant  and  good  natured  as  ever ;  General 
Barnard  very  agreeable,  I  thought.  We  walked  together 
to  the  water's  edge ;  saw  Miss  Nightingale,  who  was 
talking  about  the  Crimea,  etc.,  a  gloomy  subject  just 
now.  Met,  on  the  other  side.  Lady  Stratford,  Miss  Stan- 
ley, Mrs.  Ives,  etc.,  with  whom  we  recrossed  and  went  to 
the  Seraglio  gardens,  St.  Sophia,  where  we  put  on  slip- 
pers. There  were  pillars  from  Ephesus,  from  Lesbos, 
and  everywhere  mosaic  ;  but  the  Mussulmans  picked  it 
from  the  walls  and  sold  it  for  backsheesh — they  would 
sell  their  eyes  for  it  with  pleasure,  from  the  Sultan  down- 
ward. Talked  to  Miss  Stanley  of  her  arrangements ;  she 
was  loud  in  her  praises  of  Lady  Stratford  and  her  kind- 
ness. 

''In  the  evening,  having  no  clothes  of  my  own,  I  bor- 
rowed a  uniform  of  Ashley  Ponsonby  ;  Lord  Rokeby  says 
he  would  take  me  as  a  recruit.  We  went  walking  with 
lanterns  to  dinner  :  Lord  and  Lady  Stratford  and  daugh- 
ter, Wellesley,  Willie  Barnard,  General  Barnard  (whom 
I  sat  next  to),  Lord  Rokeby,  Seymour  Darner,  Hughy 
Drummond,  Mr.  Allison  —  a  very  agreeable  dinner,  a 
magnificent  house  and  home. 

"  Saturday.  —  Bazaared  witli  Frederick  Cadogan  and 
Jolliffe  ;  took  our  places,  and  with  Kinloch  rode  to  Pan- 
caldi  with  Fred  AValpole  and  General  Beatson.  Dined  at 
Missiri's  next  to  Stanley  Graham,  a  lieutenant  in  R.N., 
such  a  nice  boy,  and  so  handsome  I  thought  him.      I 

111 


KECOLLECTIONS  1854- 

think  we  were  fifteen  of  us  who  knew  each  other ;  how 
odd  all  meeting  liere,  to  separate  again  so  soon !  I  never 
saw  sucli  a  pattern  of  a  good  soldier  as  Hughy  Drum- 
niond  :  pluck,  all  have  ;  but  cheeriness,  good  spirits,  and 
a  good  soldier  all  combined  in  him,  no  grumbling,  all 
hoping  for  the  best.  Seymour,  also  a  great  friend  of  his, 
very  contented,  at  any  rate  not  showing  that  he  was  not 
so.  Said  good-bye  to  Lord  Rokeby,  who  took  us  into 
his  room  and  read  us  the  Queen's  letter  about  the 
Guards. 

"Sunday,  2Hfh. — Hode  to  breakfast  with  Frederick 
Walpole  at  his  house  at  Pancaldi ;  we  made  it  a  long  one 
by  talking  and  smoking  till  luncheon  time,  after  which 
he,  his  wife,  and  myself  took  a  long  walk  by  the  Sultan's 
new  palace  and  Rescind  Pasha's  house,  tbrough  some  fine 
streets,  very  fine  considering  that  fifteen  years  have  only 
elapsed  since  it  was  forbidden  to  build  with  anything 
but  wood — it  was  presumptuous,  they  say,  to  dictate  to 
the  Almighty  how  long  a  house  was  to  last.  At  a  fine 
marble  mosque  by  the  water's  edge  I  said  good-bye,  and 
getting  into  a  caique  fell  asleep  till  I  reached  Kuleli,  the 
new  hospital.  Finding  Miss  Stanley  out,  I  walked  up 
the  hill  to  Kandilli.  The  view  of  the  Seven  Lanterns 
was,  indeed,  very  grand ;  I  could  see  from  it  beyond 
Therapia  and  almost  to  the  Black  Sea,  while  at  my  feet 
was  the  Bosphorus  and  Constantinople  in  all  its  glory. 
Met  Miss  Stanley,  and  with  her  back  to  the  hospital, 
Avhich  I  went  over  alone,  and  found  all  (jetting  comforta- 
ble. Had  tea  with  the  nurses,  and  to  dinner,  where  Ash- 
ley Ponsonby,  Dawson  Darner,  Jolliffe,  Kinloch,  and  my- 
self, all  Eton  friends,  dined  together,  and  talked  Eton 
till  we  laughed  at  old  recollections. 

*'  Monday,  2dth. — Awoke  to  find  it  pouring,  so  during 
the  morning  I  sat  in  Seymour  Damer's  room,  very  much 
the  same  as  if  we  had  been  in  Wilton  Crescent ;  we  talked 

112 


1855  THE    ISLES    OF    GREECE 

not  Crimea,  but  home,  for  two  or  three  hours,  when  I 
went  to  see  Ashley  Ponsonby  and  to  say  good-bye  to  him. 
Saw  George  Paget ;  said  good-bye  also  to  Hedworth  Jol- 
liffe,  and  Fred  Cadogan,  with  Avhom  I  was  sorry  not  to 
go  home.  They  say  two  that  start  together  never  come 
back  together ;  he  goes  by  Trieste,  and  I  hurry  back  by 
Marseilles.  Said  good-bye  to  Seymour  ;  it  was  gloomy  for 
him  being  left  alone  there  for  the  time  being.  Kinloch 
and  I  went  through  a  torrent  of  rain  to  the  water's  edge, 
where  we  got  into  a  caique,  and  through  very  rough 
water  got  on  board  the  Ganges,  pouring  and  blowing; 
but  we  dined  before  we  started,  and  got  into  bed  pretty 
happily. 

"  Tuesday,  30t?i. — Glorious  sunrise  I  Was  it  a  dream  ? 
On  awakening  at  eight  o'clock  we  were  at  anchor  off 
Gallipoli,  and  after  breakfast — I  must  say  a  curious  one, 
consistiug  principally  of  pickles,  olives,  figs,  raisins  and 
cheese,  sponge-cake  and  pears,  beef,  mutton,  fish,  etc., 
but  a  good  one — we  steamed  through  Sestos  and  Abydos 
and  the  castle  of  the  Dardanelles.  Midday  came,  and 
we  are  on  deck  smoking  in  the  sun,  by  Besika  Bay ;  by 
Lemnos  and  through  the  islands  of  the  ^gean.  My 
youthful  idea  that  every  island  was  in  the  ^gean  Sea 
is  fully  confirmed  by  the  scenes  we  saw  to-day.  Greece 
in  all  its  beauty  lay  before  us.  We  rushed  on  deck,  we 
drew  nearer  and  nearer  to  the  Acropolis  and  Parthenon 
and  Temple  of  Jupiter  ;  a  morning  sun  shone  clearly  on 
them,  and  oh,  the  blue,  really  blue  waters  between  us  ! 
Five  minutes  more  and  we  anchored.  One's  thoughts, 
notwithstanding  it  was  breakfast  time,  wandered  forth 
in  imagination  of  a  day  at  Athens,  a  saunter  through  the 
Parthenon,  poetic  dreams  in  the  temple  of  the  great 
Zeus ;  we  might  have  stood  where  St.  Paul  stood  ;  we 
might  have  been  where  Gallio  was,  and  cared  more  for 
it ;  but  no  matter,  five  minutes  has  passed.  A  yellow 
H  113 


RECOLLECTIONS  1854- 

fliig  drops  lazily  from  our  mast ;  we  are  plague-stricken, 
or  supposed  to  be — we  are  in  quarantine.  Some  of  us 
swore,  some  sulked,  all  ate  a  good  breakfast — the  intel- 
lectual being  denied  us,  we  had  recourse  to  the  animal 
amusements  ;  we  lay  in  the  summer  sun  and  grumbled  ; 
we  fished  for  fish  we  did  not  catch.  A  new  amusement  oc- 
curs to  us.  A  bottle  was  thrown  into  the  water,  revolvers 
are  produced  ;  the  famous  Petit  Caporal  des  Chasseurs 
de  Vincennes,  wounded  seven  times,  who  shot  so  many 
Russes,  Avho  had  a  medal,  is  on  board  ;  he  takes  the 
revolver,  he  fires  at  the  bottle,  for  the  time  an  imagi- 
nary Russe  ;  he  misses.  My  turn  soon  comes.  I  grasp 
the  pistol,  I  shut  my  eyes,  I  fire — tiie  bottle  is  broken 
to  a  thousand  bits,  and  sinks.  It  is  twelve  o'clock  ; 
more  grumbling  ;  resigned  again  to  smoke,  sun,  and 
oranges.  I  am  happy.  At  two  o'clock  we  start.  We 
hear  English  bands  and  French  on  sliore.  '  Vivent  les 
Anglais,  vivent  les  Frangais,  a  has  les  Grecques  et  le  roi 
Othon.' 

"We  start;  there  is  a  cry,  a  rush,  a  tumult — a  man 
overboard  !  Here,  then,  was  an  opportunity,  long  sought 
after,  of  distinguisliing  myself  without  danger  !  What  a 
time  to  throw  off  my  coat,  raise  my  arms,  shout  'Vive  la 
France  !'  and  plunge  into  the  water  !  But  no  :  the  man 
swims  manfully ;  he  gets  a  life-preserver ;  he  does  not 
Avant  it ;  crowds  of  boats  pick  him  up  ;  he  is  brought 
fresh  and  wet  aboard.  AVe  proceed  by  Salamis  ;  I  see  it 
only  through  my  windows,  where  I  have  descended  to 
wash  my  solitary  pocket-handkerchief — not  being  as 
dirty  as  it  looked.  It  is  washed;  it  is  carefully  hung 
out  to  dry  on  a  stick ;  I  watch  it  with  a  fatherly  care. 
Something  attracts  my  attention ;  I  turn  again  ;  my 
handkerchief,  my  only  one,  is  gone  ! 

"We  have  seen  Troy  and  the  tomb  of  Achilles,  Lem- 
nos,  Salamis ;  but  dinner  is  come,  our  steam  is  up,  and 

114 


1855  FROM    ETNA    TO    CALAIS 

we  are  off  after  dinner.  Glorious  uiglit ;  and  we  go  on 
deck  to  smoke,  and  I  to  talk  to  my  French  friend,  Cha- 
vannes  de  Chartel.  He  is  amusing,  as  only  a  French- 
man can  be ;  he  does  not  laugh  at  my  bad  French,  and 
we  get  on  capitally. 

'^Friday. — We  have  a  glorious  view  of  Etna  slumber- 
ing in  the  solemnity  of  its  height ;  very  snowy  and  very 
cold  it  is  up  there.  The  captain  says  we  have  a  view  of 
one  in  two  hundred.  It  is  grandly  magnificent ;  and 
Italy,  on  the  other  side,  looks  as  if  it  was  not  long  ago 
since  it  was  boiled  up  and  suddenly  hardened  —  not  a 
level  bit  of  land  of  one  hundred  yards.  We  lie  on  deck 
and  watch  the  villages  in  Calabria,  the  olive-trees,  the 
greenest  of  all  green  grass,  and  flowers  resembling  cow- 
slips or  buttercups.  We  steam  on  up  the  Straits  of  Mes- 
sina, where  we  arrive  at  three  o'clock.  Thoughts  of  a 
dinner  on  land,  a  stroll  through  the  one  hundred  orange 
groves,  an  opera,  and  all  kinds  of  shore  and  civilized 
amusements  suggest  themselves  to  our  cabined  and  be- 
shipped  imagination.  But  a  quarantine  of  eight  days 
is  here.  We  are  within  fifty  yards  of  shore.  We  are 
furious  as  a  lazaretto  guard,  a  man  with  a  rusty  bayonet, 
comes  to  take  three  passengers  to  Xaples  to  the  Tazaretto. 
Indigenes  de  Messina  watch  us  ;  orange-boys  come  along- 
side and  cheat  us  ;  the  health-officer  is  gloomy,  sour- 
looking,  and  ugly. 

'^Monday. — I  remain  on  deck  till  five  o'clock,  when  we 
get  into  Marseilles.  Dunne  and  I  ('couriers')  go  ashore, 
and  at  eight  o'clock  to  Valence,  where  we  arrive  at  five 
o'clock.  I  say  good-bye  to  him  ;  and,  after  a  bad  din- 
ner, I  get  in  the  '  banquet '  of  a  diligence,  and  freeze  till 
I  get  to  Lyons,  where  I  have  breakfast  at  eight  o'clock. 

"Tuesday. — Again  to  Paris,  where  we  arrive  just  in 
time  for  a  train  to  Calais  ;  catch  the  boat ;  an  awful  pas- 
sage, but  I  rather  like  it. 

115 


RECOLLECTIONS  1854-1855 

"  Wednesday. — I  get  to  England — more,  get  to  Lon- 
don ut  nine  o'clock,  in  time  for  breakfast.  I  shave  my 
beard  off,  and  think  of  all  I  have  done,  or  rather  we  have 
done.  AVe  have  ridden  long  stages,  foodless,  on  miser- 
able horses  with  backbones  like  razors  and  mouths  like 
files ;  we  have  drunk  black,  bitter  coffee,  and  smoked 
tobacco  with  agas  and  effendis ;  we  have  eaten  mutton 
like  leather,  and  beef  like  mahogany;  we  have  abjured 
knives  and  forks;  we  have  suffered  hospitable  but  un- 
cleanly pashas  to  kiss  us ;  we  have  forgotten  the  exist- 
ence of  razors,  soap,  and  brushes ;  we  have  delivered 
ourselves  willing  captives  to  the  bow  of  the  bug  and  the 
spear  of  the  flea  ;  we  have  treated  linen  as  a  myth ;  we 
have  worn  jack-boots;  to  say  nothing  of  running  addi- 
tional risks  of  perishing  by  fever,  ague,  or  dysentery  on 
the  marshes  of  the  Danube,  or  of  being  murdered  in 
military  Austria,  or  being  blown  to  pieces  decently  with 
a  shell  or  a  ball  in  the  Crimea,  according  to  the  usages 
of  civilized  warfare  and  the  laws  of  nations. 

"  We  have  seen  much  to  instruct  us,  much  to  amuse 
us,  much  that  is  grand,  more  that  is  sad  —  our  army's 
suffering,  our  army's  chivalry,  our  army's  trials,  and  our 
army's  triumph  ;  sickness  and  sorrow  ministered  to  by 
heroic  Christianity ;  men  as  heroes,  women  as  angels. 
We  have  seen  some  of  our  country's  glories,  we  have 
seen  many  of  her  humiliations — much  to  rejoice  over, 
much  to  lament  over,  more  to  hope  for.  We  should  be, 
if  we  are  not,  wiser  and  better  men  for  all  we  have  seen." 


CHAPTER  V 

1855-1856 

Interviews  with  Lord  John  Russell— Lord  Panmure  and  his  Tele- 
gram— Lord  Palmerstou,  Prime  Minister — Sir  Charles  Wood  at 
the  Admiralty — His  Knowledge  of  Detail — Lord  Northbrook's 
Early  Career  and  Official  Experience — Measuring  the  Cadets — 
Croker  and  Peel  —  Mrs.  Lane-Fox's  Dinners  —  Charles  Viiliers 
and  Mrs.  Seymour — Lord  Canning's  Speech  at  the  East  India 
Company's  Dinner  in  1855 — Visit  of  the  King  of  Sardinia — 
My  Trip  to  the  Baltic — Dantzic,  Nargon,  Seskar — Theatricals 
on  the  Blenheim  —  Land  Journey  through  Sweden  —  Wisby, 
Calmar,  Carlskrona,  Malmo— The  Sights  of  Copenhagen — Elsi- 
nore  and  Hamlet's  Grave — Home  via  Hamburg,  Cologne,  and 
Calais — Proclamation  of  Peace  with  Russia,  March  30,  1856 — 
Burning  of  Coven t  Garden  Theatre — Death  of  Colonel  Damer — 
His  Distinguished  Career — Distribution  of  Crimean  Medals  by 
the  Queen— City  Failures— Palmer  the  Poisoner — The  Daguerre- 
otype Mania. 

Immediately  on  my  return,  in  Febrnary,  1855,  I  was 
sent  for  by  Lord  John  Enssell,  and  gave  him  my  account 
of  what  I  had  seen.  Among  other  things  I  said  that 
those  men  who  had  borne  all  the  hardships  of  the  winter 
were  in  magnificent  condition ;  but  he  represented  me 
as  saying  the  army  was  in  magnificent  condition,  which 
was  not  what  I  wished  to  convey. 

I  dined  also  at  Lord  Clarendon's,  and  was  asked  many 
questions.  Lady  Clarendon  insisted  upon  my  seeing 
Lord  Panmure,  who  was  then  Secretary  for  War ;  but, 
after  waiting  in  his  secretary's  room  some  time,  I  ascer- 

117 


RECOLLECTIONS  1855- 

tained  that  he  did  not  want  to  hear  what  I  had  to  say, 
which  was  that  the  Turkish  burial-ground  at  Balaclava 
was  in  a  swamp,  where  those  who  died  were  buried 
about  two  feet  deep  only,  while  the  place  was  in  close 
proximity  to  great  quantity  of  limestone,  which  was 
never  used. 

Lord  Panmure  was  not  a  great  war  minister,  but  will 
be  remembered  for  his  famous  telegram  to  General 
Simpson,  who  succeeded  Lord  Raglan:  "Yon  are  ap- 
pointed Commander-in-Chief  in  the  Crimea.  Take  care 
of  Dowb."  And  here  the  message  came  to  an  abrupt 
conclusion.  I  was  in  the  House  of  Commons  when  Sir 
de  Lacy  Evans  elucidated  its  meaning.  The  real  mean- 
ing of  the  message  was  that  Lord  Panmure  had  a  rela- 
tion for  whose  advancement,  being  a  Scotchman,  he  was 
very  anxious ;  so  he  chose  the  moment  of  announcing 
General  Simpson's  apj)ointment  to  add  a  little  post- 
script: ''Take  care  of  Dowbeggin."  Now  Dowbeggin, 
as  Trollope  would  say,  was  a  cousin  of  the  Secretary  of 
State  for  War.  Sir  de  Lacy  Evans  described  very  funni- 
ly the  receipt  of  the  telegram,  the  perplexity  of  the  Staff, 
the  summoning  of  all  the  Engineeers  to  ascertain  in 
what  jmrt  of  the  trenches  was  Dowb,  etc.  The  story 
did  not  strengthen  the  government,  but  nothing  came 
of  the  episode. 

During  my  absence  in  the  Crimea  Lord  Aberdeen's 
short  government  had  come  to  an  end,  and  Disraeli's 
prophecy  as  to  the  brief  life  of  the  triumphs  of  a  coali- 
tion had  been  verified. 

Both  Lord  Derby  and  Lord  John  Russell  attempted  in 
vain  to  form  governments,  and  Lord  Palnierston,  who 
had  passed  his  seventieth  year,  became,  to  the  great  joy 
of  the  country,  Prime  Minister  on  February  9,  1855. 
What  affected  me  most  was  that  Sir  Charles  Wood  had  re- 
placed  Sir  James  Graham  as  First  Lord  of  the  Admiralty. 

118 


1856  LORD    NORTHBROOK 

It  was  later  that  I  learned  to  appreciate  Sir  Charles's 
great  abilities  and  wonderful  power  of  work.  He  was 
not  a  good  speaker,  and  Grant  Duff  stated  that  Providence 
had  not  endowed  him  with  the  gift  of  articulate  pro- 
nunciation. He  was  a  master  of  detail.  One  day  we 
were  discussing  the  number  of  States  in  America,  and  he 
made  me  get  a  map,  and  when  I  checked  him  he  went 
through  them  all  from  east  to  west  and  from  west  to  east, 
as  if  the  map  had  lain  before  him. 

Early  one  morning  I  was  deciphering  a  telegram  from 
Sir  Edmund  Lyons's  secretary  to  Sir  Charles  Wood, 
which  said  :  "  Lyons  is  bearing  up  wonderfully  after  his 
great  loss."  We  divined  that  this  must  be  poor  Lord 
Eaglan's  death,  and  we  were  right. 

Curiously  enough,  I  was  the  first  to  hear  of  General 
Anson's  and  General  Barnard's  deaths,  and  later  on  of 
Lord  Elgin's  and  Lady  Canning's  in  India. 

There  was  in  those  days  an  office  attached  to  the  pri- 
vate secretary  of  the  First  Lord,  who  was  T.  G.  Baring, 
now  Lord  Northbrook,  who  for  his  age  had  probably  more 
official  knowledge  than  any  one  of  his  standing.  He  Avas 
the  son  of  Sir  Francis  Baring,  and  at  Oxford  had  belonged 
to  a  set  four  of  whom  subsequently  attained  Cabinet 
rank — Chichester  Fortescue,  Lord  Kimberley  (then  Lord 
Wodehouse),  and  Dodson  ;  and  immediately  on  his  leav- 
ing Oxford  he  had  become  assistant  private  secretary  to 
Mr.  Labouchere,  afterwards  Lord  Taunton,  who  was  then 
Chief  Secretary  for  Ireland  ;  later  on  he  had  become  his 
first  private  secretary  until  Lord  Bessborough's  death, 
when  he  went  with  Lord  Taunton  to  the  Board  of  Trade. 
He  had  then  become  private  secretary  to  Sir  George  Grey 
at  the  Home  Oflice.  When  Sir  Charles  Wood  became 
President  of  the  Board  of  Control  in  1852,  he  was  his 
private  secretary,  and  on  his  transfer  to  the  Admiralty 
in  1855  he  had  accompanied  him. 

119 


RECOLLECTIONS  1855-  . 

The  ordinary  official  hours  were  from  ten  to  four,  and 
were  becoming  rapidly  extended  to  six  and  seven.  The 
occupant  of  the  private  office  said  this  was  almost  more 
than  he  could  bear,  and  I  was  asked  if  I  would  like  to  go 
there,  on  the  understanding  that  there  was  to  be  no  limi- 
tation of  hours.  Of  course  I  was  delighted  at  the  oppor- 
tunity, and  we  used  to  work  always  till  eight  o'clock  in 
the  evening,  and  often  after  dinner  again ;  but  these  were 
stirring  times,  and  the  excitement  kept  us  going. 

It  was  soon  found  that  all  the  promotions  of  the  First 
Lord  were  necessarily  made  on  imperfect  information,  or, 
at  any  rate,  without  any  means  by  which  the  services  of 
one  officer  could  be  compared  with  those  of  others  ;  and 
Baring  soon  employed  Bedford,  who  was  at  the  head  of 
the  office,  and  myself  to  prepare  a  set  of  books  which 
showed  forth  all  the  services  and  all  the  confidential  re- 
ports on  officers  of  every  grade.  On  Bedford's  promotion 
these  records  were  completed  by  myself  and  Alfred  Buck- 
ley under  the  superintendence  of  Baring,  and  I  have  no 
hesitation  in  saying  that  these  books,  which  I  believe  are 
still  accurately  kept,  have  been  an  enormous  gain  to  the 
whole  service  in  enabling  the  First  Lord  of  the  Admi- 
ralty to  judge  fairly  of  the  merits  of  each  candidate  for 
promotion. 

One  evening  I  was  going  to  Lord  Clarendon's,  at  The 
Grove,  when  a  telegram  arrived  saying  that  a  night  attack 
was  going  to  be  made  on  our  ships,  and  I  was  told  to  take 
it  down  with  me,  which  I  did,  and  was  rather  discon- 
certed at  finding  that  he  had  been  sent  for  to  dine  with 
the  Queen.  However,  it  was  only  one  of  many  scares 
that  constantly  came  from  somewhere  or  another.  Sir 
Charles  Wood  used  to  get  a  frequent  succession  of  letters 
from  an  English  governess  in  St.  Petersburg,  which  were 
addressed  to  Lord  Panmure,  purporting  to  give  news,  but 
I  do  not  think  there  was  ever  any  of  real  value. 

120 


1856  MEASURING    THE    CADETS      ^ 

Cadetships  in  the  Marines  Avere  given  away  by  the 
First  Lord,  and  it  was  part  of  my  duty  to  measure  the 
lads  so  nominated,  to  see  that  they  reached  the  required 
standard.  One  poor  boy  came  into  my  room  with  heels 
to  his  boots  three  or  four  inches  high,  and  I  had  to  hand 
him  over  to  the  Inspector-General  of  Marines,  who,  I  fear, 
cut  him  off  from  his  hoped-for  career. 

Mr.  Croker,  when  he  was  Secretary  to  the  Admiralty, 
used  to  perform  this  duty,  and  on  one  occasion  he  put 
his  fingers  on  the  hair  of  the  cadet,  fastening  it  to  the 
measuring-rod,  and  said  to  the  boy:  ''Thank  you;  that 
will  do."  The  boy  stepped  down,  leaving  in  Mr.  Croker's 
possession  the  wig  which  he  had  put  on  over  his  hair  to 
raise  his  height. 

Sir  Robert  Peel,  after  his  quarrel  with  Croker,  was 
going  through  a  picture  exhibition  with  a  friend  where 
there  was  a  portrait  of  Mr.  Croker.  "How  wonderfully 
like  !"  said  the  friend;  *'you  can  see  the  quiver  on  his 
lips."  "  Yes,"  replied  Sir  Robert,  "  and  the  arrows  com- 
ing out  of  it."  Once,  when  Shell  began  a  speech  by  re- 
peating "  Necessity,  necessity,  necessity,"  Peel  said,  "Is 
not  always  the  mother  of  Invention." 

And  now  for  the  first  time  I  was  brought  into  confiden- 
tial relations  with  Sir  Charles  Wood,  a  man  of  the  old 
Whig  school,  who  filled  a  much  larger  space  in  the  po- 
litical world  than  is  dreamed  of  in  this  generation  of 
politicians.  He  had  begun  his  career  as  private  secretary 
to  Lord  Grey,  had  married  his  daughter.  Lady  Mary, 
and  had  been  included  in  every  Liberal  government 
since  that  time.  He  had  a  quickness  of  perception  and 
a  charm  which  were  irresistible,  and  his  knowledge  of  all 
political  affairs  was  probably  unique.  Added  to  which 
he  was  closely  connected  with  the  Whigs,  who  for  so 
long  were  the  governing  families  of  the  country.  He 
was  also  very  popular  at  Court. 

121 


RECOLLECTIONS  1855- 

I  often  dined  with  Alfred  Bnckley  at  his  aunt's,  Mrs. 
Lane-Fox,  who  had  before  this  time  been  a  woman  of 
fasliion  in  Whig  circles — her  salon  had  been  discontinued, 
but  she  still  gave  little  dinners,  at  which  the  most  delight- 
ful guest  was  Mr.  Charles  Villiers.  He  was  always,  in 
my  recollection,  very  careless  about  his  dress,  and  very 
seldom  had  any  buttons  on  his  shirt-front.  Lord  (rran- 
ville,  to  whom  somebody  made  this  remark,  said,  "  No; 
he  always  keeps  those  to  put  on  the  tips  of  his  foils," 
which  was  a  very  pretty  compliment.  Here,  too,  was  to 
be  met  a  ^Irs.  Seymour,  a  dwarf  and  famous  chiropodist, 
from  whom  Charles  Dickens  drew  his  picture  of  Miss 
Mowcher  in  David  CopjJerJield.  ''She  was  a  puny  dwarf 
of  about  fifty  or  fifty-five,  with  a  very  large  head  ami  face, 
a  pair  of  roguish  gray  eyes,  and  such  extremely  little 
arms  that  to  enable  herself  to  lay  a  finger  archly  on  her 
nose  she  was  obliged  to  meet  the  finger  herself  and  lay 
her  nose  against  it.  Throat  she  had  none  ;  waist  she  had 
none;  legs  she  had  none  worth  mentioning."  Mrs.  Sey- 
mour's qualifications  were  supposed  to  be  those  of  Miss 
Mowcher,  who,  readers  of  my  age  will  recollect,  was  not 
supposed  to  err  on  the  side  of  moral  severity. 

In  August  I  dined  at  the  East  India  Company's  dinner 
in  the  City,  given  to  Lord  Canning,  the  Governor-General 
of  India  elect.  As  a  Peelite  he  had  declined  the  post  of 
Under-Secretary  offered  him  by  Lord  Derby  in  1851,  but 
in  1853  he  joined  Lord  Aberdeen's  government  as  Post- 
master-General. He  continued  under  Lord  Palmerston 
until  1855,  w^hen  he  was  selected  by  him  to  succeed  Lord 
Dalhousie  as  Governor-General.  "When  he  rose  to  speak 
he  hesitated  for  so  long  that  I  feared  he  was  going  al- 
together to  break  down  (if  that  expression  can  be  used 
of  a  speech  not  yet  commenced);  but  when  he  once 
started  he  made  a  good  and  prophetic  speech,  saying  : 
"We  must  not  forget  that  in  the  sky  of  India,  serene 

122 


1856     EXPEDITION    TO    THE    BALTIC 

though  it  is,  a  small  cloud  may  arise,  at  first  no  bigger 
than  a  man's  hand,  but  which,  gi'owing  bigger  and  bigger, 
may  at  last  threaten  to  overwhelm  us  with  ruin." 

It  was  in  this  year  that  the  King  of  Sardinia  visited 
England  —  a  fine  soldierlike- looking  fellow,  utterly  un- 
accustomed to  English  social  civilization.  He  was  sup- 
posed not  to  be  leading  a  life  of  very  strict  propriety, 
and  when  the  Queen  asked  him  with  whom  he  dined 
at  home,  he  said,  "Ah,  madame,  je  dine  seul  avec  mes 
chagrins  !" 

The  autumn  came,  and  I  was  to  have  a  month's  holi- 
day, which  I  thought  could  not  be  spent  better  than  in 
an  exjjedition  to  the  Baltic.  I  was  intrusted  with  the 
care  of  despatches  from  the  Admiralty  to  Admiral  Dun- 
das,  and  here  again  I  give  my  diary  which  was  written 
at  the  time : 

"  On  Tuesday,  September  4,  1855,  Jervoise  Smith  and 
myself  started  for  our  second  Eussian  journey. 

''We  arrived  at  Lille  at  6  a.m.,  and  then  through 
Aix-la-Chapelle,  Cologne,  and  Hanover,  reached  Berlin, 
where  we  missed  the  night  train. 

"  The  next  morning,  which  was  cold  and  bright,  we 
started  for  Dantzic.  We  reached  Stettin  through  a  flat 
country  and  pine  forests,  and  arrived  at  eleven  o'clock 
at  Dantzic,  where,  with  a  fluency  remarkable,  Jervoise 
Smith  told  the  coachman  to  drive  to  the  consul's,  which 
he  did,  and  whom  we  see  ;  and,  supping  at  the  Eng- 
lisches  Haus,  we  went  to  bed.  At  eight  o'clock  the  next 
morning  we  find  Captain  Glasse,  of  H.M.S.  Vulture,  at 
breakfast,  who  had  come  down  to  fetch  the  mail  for  the 
fleet.  We  went  to  the  consul's  about  some  business,  and 
to  the  town-hall,  where  there  were  models  of  ships  which 
must  have  been  built  before  the  Flood  ;  old  pictures,  odd 
pictures — classical  and  religious,  mythical  and  sacred — 
Diana  and  Actaeon,  and  the  Last  Judgment ;   cannon- 

123 


RECOLLECTIONS  1855- 

balls  still  sticking  in  the  roof  from  the  bombardment  of 
1814.  We  went  to  the  church,  or  cathedral,  now  Luth- 
eran, and  saw  a  picture,  which  rather  haunts  me  now, 
of  the  Last  Judgment. 

*' Jervoise  Smith,  Captain  Glasse,  Mr.  Raikes,  the 
Times'  correspondent  here,  and  myself  drove  five  miles 
to  the  Vistula  '  fairwater '  and  embarked  in  the  cap- 
tain's gig  to  H.M.S.  Vulture,  which  we  reached  in  an 
hour's  time,  a  rattling  wind  blowing, 

"Sunday,  9th. — Attended  the  ship's  church  service; 
more  solemn  than  a  London  church.  When  church  was 
over,  we  walked  on  deck  and  passed  the  time  till  din- 
ner in  sorting  letters  addressed  in  the  strangest  of  hand- 
writings to  the  men  of  the  fleet. 

"  Monday,  10th. — I  woke  early  and  was  soon  on  deck 
looking  at  Revel,  which  rapidly  disappeared  behind  Nar- 
gon,  and  rounding  it,  a  sight  to  make  an  Englishman 
proud  to  be  an  Englishman  appeared  before  us  in  the 
shape  of  an  allied  fleet  in  Russian  seas  off  Revel.  I  went 
below  to  get  my  letters,  and  heard  the  paymaster,  with 
whom  I  walked  and  talked  yesterday,  was  ill,  very  ill  of 
cholera  ;  but  I  was  obliged  to  go  to  the  '  Duke  of  Wel- 
lington' with  despatches,  where  I  saw  the  admiral  and 
his  captains  and  had  a  stately  breakfast  with  them.  I 
was  asked  to  go  back  to  play  a  cricket  match  at  Nargon. 
The  last  I  played  was  at  llawnes.  After  breakfast  we 
returned  to  the  Vulture,  and  the  anchor  was  weighed  to 
the  tune  of  '  Cheer,  boys,  cheer  !'  to  which  tune  the 
poor  paymaster  died  down-stairs ;  his  screams  had  been 
dreadful,  but  latterly  he  was  unconscious. 

"  The  night  was  very  bad,  blowing  hard  and  pitch 
dark,  and  it  was  spent  in  making  a  coffin,  which  is  an 
unpleasant  way  of  spending  a  blowy  night  at  sea,  as  I 
know. 

"  Tuesday,  11th. — It  was  a  dull  morning  with  a  heavy 

124 


1856  ON    THE    EXMOUTH 

swell,  and  while  we  breakfasted  in  tlie  gun-room,  three 
or  four  of  the  officers  were  unwell,  more  from  imagina- 
tion and  the  poor  paymaster's  death  than  anything  else. 
Coming  up  to  the  Exmoutli,  we  received  a  signal  to  pro- 
ceed with  letters  to  the  advanced  blockading  squadron, 
which  we  did  ;  and  as  we  got  in  the  gig  to  go  on  board 
the  James  Watt  the  sun  came  brightly  up,  and  we  saw 
Captain  Elliot,  who  took  ns  over  his  ship,  of  which  he 
had  every  right  to  be  proud.  She  was  prepared  for  ac- 
tion, and  a  magnificent  sight  she  was — the  crack  ship  of 
the  fleet.  After  going  all  over  her  and  seeing  all  that 
was  to  be  seen,  we  went  down  to  his  cabin  ;  all  his  stern 
galleries  were  away,  ready  at  a  moment's  notice  for  any- 
thing. He  told  us  he  was  going  to  weigh  anchor  for 
Cronstadt  at  one  o'clock,  and  we  were  sorry  we  could  not 
stay  to  go  with  him,  but  if  we  did  we  might  not  get  back 
for  a  fortnight  to  Nargon,  so  we  had  to  be  contented 
with  nearly  seeing  it.  We  heard  the  Centaur  was  away 
with  cattle,  and  we  feared  we  should  miss  her,  and,  re- 
turning to  the  Vulture,  we  read  and  slept  till  we  reached 
Seskar. 

"  At  five  o'clock  we  dined  on  board  the  Exmoutli  with 
Admiral  Seymour,  and  heard  that  we  were  to  go  on 
board  his  ship  to-morrow,  which  was  great  news  for  us. 
After  a  large  dinner-party  Captain  Glasse  took  us  back 
in  his  gig  to  the  Vulture. 

"Wednesday,  12th. — We  left  the  Vulture,  and  boarded 
the  Exmoutli  in  time  to  see  her  screw  raised — a  ponder- 
ous mass  of  eleven  tons  was  lifted  up  into  its  place  like 
a  feather. 

''The  Vulture  paymaster  is  gone  to  his  burial-place  in 
Seskar,  where  there  is  a  little  church-yard,  and  we  waited 
for  the  chaplain's  return ;  then  started  with  the  Orion 
and  Majestic  in  our  company.  A  glorious  sight  to  see  a 
line  of  battle-ships  handled  under  sail. 

125 


RECOLLECTIONS  1855- 

"  At  five  o'clock  the  Admiral,  who  had  been  to  Bjorko 
island,  returned,  and  we  dined — four  of  us.  Captain  Hall 
the  fourth.  An  agreeable  dinner,  and  we  went  down 
'tween  decks  after  to  smoke  a  cigar,  heard  the  band  play, 
and  saw  the  officers  dance.  We  had  two  famous  cabins 
made  by  flags,  mine  a  Spanish  flag  in  the  Admiral's  din- 
ing-room. I  have  never  slept  in  a  cot,  but  heard  that 
when  you  are  once  in  it,  nothing  is  so  comfortable. 
There  was  a  little  difficulty  in  getting  in :  with  my  ac- 
customed determination  of  overcoming  difficulties,  I 
made  a  leap,  which  certainly  took  me  in  and  did  for  me, 
and  the  cot  turning  topsy-turvy,  I  lodged  head  foremost, 
my  feet  still  in  the  cot,  between  a  gnu  and  a  plate  chest ; 
but  in  the  course  of  time  I  got  on  my  feet  again,  with 
no  more  harm  done  than  a  damaged  elbow,  which  did 
not  prevent  my  sleeping  till  the  morning  gun. 

'*'  Thursday,  V^th. — On  going  on  deck  we  saw  Cron- 
stadt  and  the  light -house,  the  ships.  Fort  Alexander, 
steeples,  churches,  dock -yard,  etc.  What  a  sight  for 
Eussians  to  see  us  cruising  close  to  their  stronghold  ! 

"  It  was  impossible  not  to  admire  the  Russians'  moral 
as  well  as  physical  courage  in  playing  their  game.  De- 
fensive war  was  the  plan  they  had  adopted  and  the  plan 
they  abode  by. 

"  We  passed  on,  and  having  looked  at  Cronstadt  well, 
and  very  eagerly,  we  went  to  breakfast  and  turned  about 
en  route  for  Seskar.  The  other  ships  followed  in  our 
wake,  and  all  went  through  sailing  evolutions  wonderful 
to  behold — a  place  for  everybody,  everybody  in  his  place. 

"The  wind  dropped  and  we  took  many  tacks  to  get  to 
our  old  anchorage,  which  we  reached  about  five  o'clock. 

"  Captain  Clifford  came  on  board  from  the  Centaur, 
and  Pierce  and  Lieutenant  Roderick  Dew  came  to  dinner. 

"Friday,  14/f//. — The  next  day,  before  breakfast,  we 
went  on  board  the  Centaur  to  see  young  Seymour,  whom 

136 


1856  NARGON 

we  found  very  floiu-ishing,  and  Clifford  took  us  in  his 
gig  back  to  breakfast.  Commander  Gordon,  of  the  Bull- 
dog, came  on  board,  and  at  ten  o'clock  we  went  with  him, 
having  said  good-bye  to  Admiral  Seymour  and  Captain 
Hall,  who  had  been  most  good-natured, 

"The  wind  freshened  up  very  quickly,  and  from  a 
dead  calm  became  a  heavy  swell ;  we  took  an  empty 
collier  in  tow  for  Nargon  and  began  our  journey,  which 
was  as  pleasant  as  it  could  be  under  the  circumstances  of 
rain  and  swell  and  wind. 

"Saturday,  loth. — Again  at  Nargon.  All  communi- 
cation by  boats  was  out  of  the  question,  so  we  resigned 
ourselves  to  the  cabin  and  cigars  ;  but  rolling  at  anchor 
in  a  gale  is  not  pleasant.  All  the  fleet  have  two  anchors 
laid,  and  our  captain  spends  the  whole  night  on  deck  in 
case  of  an  anchor  dragging, 

"On  Sunday  we  went  to  prayers  at  ten  o'clock,  and 
immediately  after  Anderson,  of  H,M,S,  Biter,  our  Bala- 
clava friend,  came  on  board,  and  as  the  water  was  calm- 
ing fast  again,  we  went  on  the  shore  of  Nargon,  It  was 
drizzling  wet,  and  a  large  pine  forest  was  all  we  saw. 

"We  walked  through  this  immense  mass  of  timber 
and  arrived  at  the  village,  where  we  saw  among  many 
inhabitants  an  old  Englishman,  the  skipper  of  an  Eng- 
lish collier,  who  was  seventy  years  old,  and  had  brought 
coals  to  Lord  Somers's  fleet  when  in  the  Baltic  in  the 
late  war.  All  the  inhabitants,  female  at  least,  were  em- 
ployed in  washing  for  the  officers  of  the  fleet,  but  the 
men  had  gone  to  Revel  for  the  Sunday. 

"At  six  o'clock  Captain  Gordon  and  ourselves  went  to 
the  Duhe  to  dine  with  the  Admiral ;  Captain  Pelham, 
Caldwell,  etc,  there  too.  We  had  a  very  good  dinner, 
and  heard  that  the  CornwalUs  was  going  to-morrow  to 
Faro,  which  suited  us  to  perfection,  and  we  settled  to 
go  with  her  if  Captain  Wellesley  could  take  us. 

127 


RECOLLECTIONS  1855- 

"  Monday,  17th. — We  slept  on  board  the  Bulldog  and 
awoke  to  a  glorious  calm  and  a  bright  sky.  We  saw 
Revel  most  distinctly,  and  at  eight  o'clock  we  called  to 
say  good-bye  to  Cai^tain  Glasse,  of  the  Vulture. 

"Anderson  breakfasted  on  the  Bulldog,  and  Captain 
Hall,  of  the  Blenheim,  came  to  ask  us  to  go  to  some 
theatricals  on  board  his  ship.  In  the  mean  time  the 
Driver  came  in  signalling  '  Sebastopol  is  fallen.'  Cap- 
tain Gordon  insisted  on  our  drinking  champagne  in 
tumblers,  and  we  waited  anxiously  for  further  news.  I 
went  on  board  the  Duke  and  heard  the  further  news, 
bad  and  good.  Poor  Buckley  was  killed  and  Hugh 
Drummond  and  Francis  Seymour  wounded.  The  French 
had  been  successful  and  we  repulsed ;  but  success  at  last 
for  both.  Thank  God,  Sebastopol  is  taken.  Among 
other  things  I  heard  was  that  the  Cormvallis  was  going 
to  England,  which  makes  all  on  board  very  happy.  We 
went  on  shore  with  Anderson,  and  fell  upon  a  pretty 
patch  '  where  once  a  garden  grew ' ;  but  beyond,  noth- 
ing but  the  endless  pine  forest,  burned  and  cut,  and  yet 
millions  alive  and  flourishing.  On  to  the  light-house,  a 
marvel  of  solid  masonry,  whence  we  could  see  the  Fin- 
nish main-land,  Baro  Sound,  etc.  We  dined  on  board 
the  Vulture,  and  went  to  the  Blenlieini  afterwards. 
Cornwallis  was  getting  under  way  ;  but  for  five  minutes 
we  witnessed  the  play,  of  which  this  was  the  play-bill: 


1856       ON    BOARD    THE    BLENHEIM 


THEATRE  ROYAL 

Under  the  distinguislied  patronage  of 
Captain  W.  H.  Hall,  C.B. 

The  Amateurs  of  H.M.S.  "  Blenheim  "  will  perform 
the  Comedietta  entitled 

FORTUNE'S  FROLIC  ;  or. 
The  Ploughman  turned  Lord. 


Robin  Roughhead      .     Mills 


Snacks 
Rattle 


Knott 
Power 


Frank 

William 

Clown 


Villagers,  &c. 

Nancy  ....  Sharpe 

Margery        .        .        .  Fagg 

Dolly  ....  Frail 


After  which 


Rutter 

Norman 
Allen 


Comic  Song 


Hornpipe 


The  whole  to  conclude  with  the  burlesque,  tragic,  comic, 
and  operatic  extravaganza,  in  one  Act,  entitled 


BOMBASTES  FURIOSO 


King  Artaxominos    Pritchard 
Fusbos  (Minister  of 

State)         .        Power 


General  Bombastes  .  Mills 
Pages  .  .  Frail  &  Sharpe 
Distaflna         .        .        .      Fagg 


Band,  Army,  Drummer,  Fifer,  &c. 


Performance  at  8  o'clock. 
VIVAT  REGINA  ! 


129 


RECOLLECTIONS  1855- 

"  The  stage  was  erected  from  the  quarter-deck ;  the 
audience  seemed  endless,  hundreds  of  sailors  from  the 
main-deck  right  away  up — any  height. 

"  The  drop  scene  was  a  fort  and  a  boat ;  supposed  to 
be  the  scene  of  some  of  Captain  Hall's  Chinese  exploits. 

"  Before  the  play  there  was  a  prologue,  written  for  the 
occasion,  more  striking  for  its  strong  common-sense  and 
pointed  hits  than  for  its  rhythm  or  strict  grammatical 
accuracy.  It  told  us  how  the  Itussians,  'if  they  wouldn't 
come  out  to  fight  for  mortar,  shell,  or  gun,  must  be 
laughed  at  for  a  bit  of  fun.'  But  the  climax  of  the  pro- 
logue approached,  and  its  affecting  pathos  was  shown  in 
the  last  two  lines  : 

"  Sebastopol  Las  fallen,  Sebastopol  has  fell ; 

All's  well !" 

and  then  such  cheers  rang  from  the  deck  as  might  ring 
again  in  echoes  from  Revel.  Peal  after  peal  of  cheers 
died  away,  and  then  came  '  God  Save  the  Queen.' 

"The  Corniuallis  is  by  this  time  under  way,  and  we, 
still  shaking  with  laughter,  had  come  on  board,  had  tea 
with  the  captain,  and  so  to  bed. 

*'  Tuesday,  ISth. — After  breakfast  Captain  Wellesley 
showed  us  over  his  ship  and  engines,  which  are  high 
pressure  and  in  a  very  small  compass,  and  Avork  as  en- 
gines on  a  railway.  Then  there  were  short  morning 
prayers  after  the  quarters  ;  and  it  began  to  rain,  and  at 
four  o'clock  we  dined.  Captain  Wellesley  had  asked 
young  Cadogan  to  dine  with  us.  After  an  agreeable  din- 
ner we  went  and  smoked  in  the  gun-room,  where,  after 
the  band  had  finished,  there  was  an  amateur  concert. 
'  The  Fall  of  Sebastopol ' — a  song  composed  in  honor  of 
that  event  by  Hobart — was  sung  with  great  applause  to 
the  tune  of  '  Villikins  and  his  Dinah.' 

''Wednesday,  li^th. — After  breakfast  and  prayers,  and 

130 


1856  FARO 

some  reading  and  writing,  we  found  that  the  sea  was 
not  as  calm  as  it  might  be  ;  and  the  wind,  which  had 
been  for  some  time  ^je?^  favorable,  came  right  ahead, 
and  on  throwing  the  log  we  found  we  were  going 
back  instead  of  forward.  The  gun-room  officers  had 
asked  us  to  dinner,  and  I  was  rather  glad  when  they 
sent  to  say  that  so  many  of  them  were  ill  they  must  put 
us  off.  I  was  hardly  up,  I  confess,  to  a  large  dinner- 
party, so  we  dined  alone  and  drank  champagne,  after 
which  1  lay  down  and  read  Charles  Lamb,  and  could  not 
but  agree  with  him  when  he  says,  'I  shrink  instinctively 
from  a  man  who  says  he  prefers  minced  veal,  and  hold 
that  a  man  cannot  have  a  pure  mind  who  refuses  apple 
dumplings.' 

''We  pitched  tremendously,  and  I  was  not  altogether 
sorry  to  go  to  bed.  We  were  not  much  nearer  than  we 
were  in  the  morning  to  Faro,  but  in  the  night  the  wind 
shifted,  and  the  next  day  we  reached  Faro ;  and,  after 
breakfast.  Captain  Wellesley  took  us  on  shore  with  young 
Arthur  Cadogan,  for  whom  Ave  got  some  eggs  for  his 
mess,  and  some  milk  for  the  captain,  who  most  good- 
naturedly  begged  us  to  go  on  to  Copenhagen.  We  were 
very  sorry  to  say  good-bye,  to  him,  and  the  Baltic  fleet 
in  general,  which  we  did  here.  Everybody  had  con- 
spired to  be  good-natured  to  us ;  nothing  was  too  much 
for  them  to  do  to  help  us  and  make  our  time  pleas- 
ant. 

"  On  landing,  we  soon  found  a  little  cart  on  four 
Avheels  and  no  springs,  and  two  good  little  ponies,  and 
started  merrily,  in  glorious  weather,  on  good  roads, 
through  a  flat  but  pretty  country,  with  quiet  little  vil- 
lages and  churches  in  the  distance.  At  the  last  stage, 
in  the  book  in  which  travellers  have  to  write  their 
names,  a  clever  Frenchman  had  drawn  a  picture,  true  to 
the  life,  of  our  conveyance.    Aftelage  utile,  mais pen  cou- 

131 


RECOLLECTIONS  1855- 

fortable.  In  the  iuiioeeuce  of  mv  heart  I  cut  off  the  bit 
of  paper,  intending  it  for  this  diary.  Little  did  I  know 
how  soon  the  thunder-cloud  over  my  head  would  burst. 
We  got  our  ponies  and  started;  in  two  minutes  a  yell 
was  raised,  and  notwithstanding  all  our  endeavors  to  the 
contrary,  we  Avere  stopped.  Several  men  appeared,  all 
frantic,  brandishing  the  book,  and  talking  and  gesticu- 
lating madly.  Neither  Jervoise  nor  myself  spoke  one 
word  of  Swedish,  which  rendered  explanation  difficult. 
I  gave  back  the  picture,  which  did  not  appease  them  at 
all.  The  scene  was  so  excessively  absurd  that  Jervoise 
and  myself  sacrilegiously  laughed.  Things  were  looking 
serious,  and  the  chief  speaker  i)roceeded  to  unharness 
our  horses;  but  this  was  beyond  a  joke,  and  we  remon- 
strated, not  verbally  but  physically,  and  in  this  we  suc- 
ceeded. He  then  rushed  to  the  horses'  heads,  from 
which  I  gently  removed  him,  and  by  judiciously  giving 
tobacco  to  three  of  the  bystanders  we  won  them  over  to 
our  side  ;  they  laughed  at  the  indignant  owner,  and  final- 
ly we  drove  off,  but  not  in  triumph,  for  I  had  lost  my 
picture.     We  got  to  Wisby,  had  a  bad  tea,  and  to  bed. 

"Friday,  21st. — I  blush  to  say  I  have  never  heard  of 
Wisby  till  this  year.  In  the  tenth  and  eleventh  centu- 
ries, before  the  Ilanseatic  League,  it  was  the  most  flour- 
ishing city  in  the  north  of  Europe  ;  before  the  discovery 
of  the  passage  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  it  Avas  the 
depot  of  all  merchandise  coming  through  and  from 
Russia.  The  first  marine  law  for  the  Baltic  was  framed 
there  in  1300,  and  is  now,  I  believe,  referred  to  in  our 
English  laws.  There  are  here  eighteen  ruined  churches 
of  the  tenth  and  eleventh  centuries. 

*' At  one  o'clock,  after  a  stroll  on  the  beach  with  a  gen- 
tleman guide  from  the  consulate,  to  lionize  the  town,  we 
walked  by  the  high  and  yet  solid  fortifications,  and  saw 
the  tower  called  '  Maiden's  Tower,'  where,  they  say,  is 

132 


( 


1856  WIS  BY 

still  to  be  seen  on  the  stones  the  stain  of  blood  of  that 
loving  and  traitorous  maiden  who  from  that  very  tower 
in  1361  made  the  signal  to  Valdemar  III.  of  Denmark  to 
assault  the  ramparts,  and  who  paid  for  her  treachery 
with  her  life — she  was  buried  alive  in  the  tower. 

"  We  wandered  over  vast  ruins  of  splendid  churches 
and  cathedrals,  rich  Gothic  architecture,  splendid  col- 
umns, high  towers,  and  carved  arches,  still  standing; 
one  church  of  the  Holy  Ghost  is  most  beautiful.  There 
are  convents  and  nunneries  where  thousands  of  worship- 
pers must  have  stood  some  800  years  ago.  The  shell 
remains,  but  the  inside  is  covered  with  grass  and  ivy ; 
and,  strangely  enough,  large  trees,  oak  and  others,  and 
thick  brushwood,  have  grown  up  in  the  dust  collected 
on  the  roofs  of  nearly  all.  There  were  two  churches, 
'sister  churches,'  the  tale  being  that  two  sisters  de- 
termined to  build  one  church  ;  but  unable  to  agree  in 
their  religious  views,  they  each  built  one ;  and  so  from 
evil  good  came. 

"  From  all  these  dead  churches  we  go  to  see  a  living 
one.  A  strange  medley  :  it  is  of  different  styles  of  archi- 
tecture ;  and  as  I  Avonder  if  other  Englishmen,  more 
worthy  than  we,  have  seen  such  grandeur,  our  guide  says, 
'Do  you  know  Lords  Dufferin  and  Arthur  Russell  ?'  It 
appears  that  they  had  paid  a  visit  there  from  the  for- 
mer's yacht. 

"  How  imagination  can  people  those  great  ghosts  of 
churches  and  altars  and  crypts  and  galleries,  and  almost 
hear  the  music  and  the  chants ! 

"  In  the  days  of  its  prosperity  the  aristocracy  of  Wisby, 
exclusive  as  other  aristocracies,  forbade  any  mechanics 
or  artisans  to  live  within  their  walls.  How  little  they 
thought  a  time  was  coming  when  their  aristocracy  would 
be  forgotten  ! 

"  Our  guide  dined  with  us  at  our  hotel  at  seven  o'clock, 

133 


RECOLLECTIONS  1856- 

and  talked  much  of  English  manners.  A  picture  of  Sir 
James  Graham  wheeling  a  barrow  at  the  oi^cning  of  the 
Silloth  Railway  surprised  him,  until  we  explained  its 
meaning.  The  Norwegian  dinner  begins  with  cheese 
and  ends  with  soup. 

"The  next  day  we  walked  some  little  way  from  the 
town  to  a  pretty  wood,  and  returned  at  three  o'clock  to 
dine  with  Mr.  Enequest,  the  English  consul,  at  his  coun- 
try-house, a  little  place  about  a  mile  from  the  town.  He 
had  a  pretty  wife,  and  two  young  ladies  were  staying 
Avith  them.  They  all  talked  English,  and  we  had  an 
agreeable  and  very  good  dinner,  and  walked  in  the  gar- 
den to  see  the  sunset,  for  the  beauty  of  which  the  Bal- 
tic islands  are  famous.  On  the  following  day — Sunday 
— we  walked  by  the  seaside  in  the  morning,  and  at  six 
o'clock  embarked  in  the  Louise.  It  was  very  calm,  which 
was  lucky,  as  the  boat  was  like  a  plaything  in  size  and 
strength. 

"At  six  o'clock  the  following  morning  we  reached 
Calmar  and  ordered  our  cart,  but  returned  to  the  steamer 
to  breakfast,  after  which  the  captain  and  passengers  sent 
for  sherry  to  drink  our  health.  If  we  had  been  the  only 
travellers,  it  would  have  been  very  well  ;  but  as  there 
were  three  or  four,  a  bottle  of  sherry  in  honor  of  each, 
and  clashing  of  glasses,  was  a  little  too  much  for  nine 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  Nevertheless,  we  thanked  them 
for  their  kindness  and  warm  hearts. 

"  There  was  to  be  a  great  fete  at  Calmar  for  the  fall 
Sebastopol  —  in  fact,  all  over  Sweden  there  is  but  one 
opinion  in  favor  of  the  Allies ;  it  is,  I  believe,  an  old  and 
bitter  hatred  that  lives  with  them  against  the  Russians. 
The  captain  told  us  that  tlicre  was  a  Swedish  gentleman 
who  would  go  with  us  and  perhaps  help  us  on  our  way. 
It  was  a  bright  morning  when  we  started.  Our  vehicle 
was  like  the  Wallachian  carts,  the  difference  in  the  trav- 

134 


1856  CARLS  KRONA 

elling  being  that  here  there  were  tolerable  roads  and 
clean  post-houses,  instead  of  trackless  bogs  and  miser- 
able hovels.  When  once  in  our  cart  we  went  famously, 
but  at  each  post  we  had  to  wait  a  long  time  for  fresh 
horses,  which  was  tedious  when  travelling  against  time 
as  we  were.  It  was  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  when  we 
reached  Carlskrona ;  we  were  tired,  bruised,  and  cold, 
and  on  arriving  at  the  inn  we  were  told  by  a  man  in  a 
nightcap  that  it  was  full.  Our  imperturbable  Swede 
rather  seemed  to  like  it  than  otherwise,  but  Jervoise  and 
myself  began  alternately  piteous  appeals  in  every  lan- 
guage we  knew  a  few  words  of.  At  last  we  got  a  salon 
to  lie  down  in,  on  the  strict  understanding  that  we  got 
up  at  five  o'clock.  A  little  grace  was  given  us,  but  at 
six  o'clock  we  got  up,  and  after  breakfast  walked  about 
the  town  and  to  the  dock-yard,  this  being  the  headquar- 
ters of  the  Swedish  navy,  the  officers  of  which  were  in 
uniform  and  had  manners  very  like  English  officers. 

'*At  eleven  o'clock  we  started  on  our  road  again 
through  a  beautiful  countr}',  with  lakes,  mountains, 
thickly  wooded,  and  glens,  and  now  and  then  an  arm  of 
the  sea  running  into  the  main-land. 

*'  Carlskrona  itself  is  built  on  several  small  islands, 
which  are  all  connected  by  bridges  one  with  another. 
It  was  another  bright  day,  and  the  hedges  and  trees 
were  covered  with  gossamer  webs,  which  glittered  bright- 
ly in  the  sun.  The  Germans  say  that  the  'after -sum- 
mer' fine  weather  is  caused  by  a  mass  of  spiders'  Avebs 
rising  through  the  air  and  forming  a  large  umbrella  be- 
tween the  sky  and  earth  ;  we  saw  almost  webs  enough  to 
justify  so  strange  an  idea. 

"Everybody  in  Sweden  had  a  kind  look,  and  raised 
their  hats  to  the  passer-by  ;  a  kind  word,  too,  I  dare  say 
they  had,  if  we  understood  their  language. 

'^  Wednesday,  26th. — For  a  while  all  went  most  swim- 

135 


RECOLLECTIONS  1855- 

mingl}',  as  the  postman  before  us  had  ordered  horses, 
which  we  found  waiting  for  us  at  each  post.  We  drove 
through  Christianstad,  and  as  all  the  Swedish  female 
population  sat  working  at  their  windows.,  and  as  they 
were  all  pretty  and  have  lovely  complexions,  it  was 
amusing  enough  ;  but  at  Xobbelo,  where  we  dined,  we 
found  the  postman  had  not  arrived,  so  our  old  waitings 
for  horses  most  tediously  began  again.  The  Swede,  I  be- 
lieve, liked  this  also,  rather  than  otherwise.  We  had  a 
most  exciting  race  for  a  mile  on  the  road  with  another 
post-cart.  The  pace  was  killing,  and  if  periietual  bumps 
and  bruises  did  not  remind  us  we  were  on  the  ground, 
we  might  have  fancied  we  were  flying ;  but  we  won, 
and,  though  bruised,  were  pleased.  On,  on,  on  !  Jervoise 
was  getting  knocked  up  ;  and  no  wonder,  it  was  indeed 
luird  work.  I  fell  into  a  semi-sleep,  and  heard  mutter- 
ings  of  'Call  this  pleasure?  It  is  misery!'  'I  never 
hated  anything  like  this  before.'  As  the  night  came  on 
it  grew  bitter.  I  had  my  Crimean  comforter,  which  I 
believe  saved  my  life  ;  but  it  was  weary  work.  At  last, 
after  thirty  hours'  bumping  and  jolting,  we  reached 
Malmo,  and  not  having  been  in  bed  for  three  or  four 
nights,  were  right  glad  to  have  an  oj^portunity  of  wash- 
ing, etc. 

"We  walked  through  the  bright  little  town,  and  at 
one  o'clock  embarked  on  the  Halland  for  Copenhagen, 
leaving  Sweden  and  the  nicest  set  of  jjeople — kind-heart- 
ed, honest,  clean,  and  obliging — I  ever  met  with.  We 
soon  reached  Copenhagen,  which  looked  beautiful  from 
its  harbor,  and  at  once  went  to  the  church  of  Thorwald- 
sen's  Twelve  Apostles,  which  are  very  grand — St.  John 
and  St.  James  being,  I  thought,  the  finest. 

''We  dined  at  the  Hotel  Phcenix,  and  went  to  the 
theatre,  where  was  some  pretty  music. 

"At  nine  o'clock  the  next  morning  we  began  our  lion- 

136 


1856  COPENHAGEN 

izing  again  by  going  to  Thorwaldsen's  Museum,  which 
outside  is  painted  with  frescoes  of  his  works  being  brought 
in  a  kind  of  triumplial  procession  to  Copenhagen  from 
Eome.  It  seemed  almost  incredible  that  one  man's  life 
could  have  been  long  enough  for  so  many  studies.  It 
could  have  been  no  idle  one  ;  and  all  that  he  ever  did 
is  here  in  plaster  casts,  or  in  the  original,  down  to  his 
smallest  beginnings.  His  Twelve  Apostles  are  feebly 
represented  by  casts,  but,  oddly  enough,  the  plaster  cast 
of  Christ  shows  more  to  advantage  than  in  its  niche  in 
the  church.  After  spending  a  long  time  here  we  went 
to  see  the  pictures  in  the  palace,  which  should  be  better 
than  they  are,  to  repay  people  for  mounting  such  hun- 
dreds of  steps  to  see  them. 

"  The  Bourse  here  is  very  quaint,  and  their  hours  of 
business  seem  very  odd  to  our  English  ways — from  9  a.m. 
to  1  P.M.,  and  from  5  p.m.  to  10  p.m. 

"  We  dined  at  a  cafe,  and  went  to  the  Tivoli,  theVaux- 
hall  of  Copenhagen.  Very  large  the  gardens  were,  and 
well  lit  by  paper  lamps.  We  heard  some  good  music, 
and  saw  crowds  of  well-conducted  people. 

"The  next  day  was  glorious.  Jervoise  Smith  was 
unwell,  but  we  hoped  our  drive  to  Elsinore  would  cure 
him.  At  9.30  we  started  through  long  avenues  of  limes 
and  over  drawbridges,  and  through  fortified  gates.  At 
each  guard-house  there  is  a  board  painted  half  black  and 
white — meaning  between  life  and  death  —  saying  that 
there  are  drags  Avithin. 

"We  passed  along  what,  if  described  by  Murray,  Avould 
be  '  a  road  leading  to  Elsinore,  lined  on  each  side  with 
picturesque  cottages,  fully  justifying  the  title  it  claims 
of  being  the  Fulham  Road  of  the  North.'  A  lovely  drive 
through  the  king's  deer-park  brought  us  upon  the  sea- 
shore, which  we  never  left  till  we  reached  Elsinore,  at 
three  o'clock.     Jervoise  drank  large  draughts  of  sal  vol- 

137 


RECOLLECTIONS  1855- 

atile,  and  thus  fortified,  he,  Mr.  Taylor,  and  Lis  little 
girl  started  for  a  ride. 

"  Wc  were  taken  to  see  Hamlet's  grave.  Alas  !  Ham- 
let's grave  is  a  public  tea-garden  now  —  and  we  utili- 
tarians and  materialists,  as  we  are,  do  not  believe  in 
Hamlet. 

"Mr.  Deacon,  the  Admiralty  agent,  joined  us,  and  a 
jn-etty  canter  through  woods  and  glades  brought  us 
to  Odin's  Hoy,  or  height,  whence  we  got  a  lovely  view  of 
Lhe  Narrow  Sea  and  Sweden.  Back  to  dinner.  Corbett 
and  his  wife,  Captain  Jenner  ('Basilisk'),  Captain  Mur- 
ray ('Cuckoo'),  and  Mr.  Gordon  made  up  the  party. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Taylor's  little  girl,  at  my  special  request, 
was  allowed  to  join  us.  It  was  Michaelmas  Day,  and  we 
had  goose  and  drank  many  healths.  After  dinner,  Jer- 
voise  was  worse  and  fainted,  but  getting  better  went  to 
bed,  which,  after  a  long  talk  with  Mrs.  Corbett  and  Mrs. 
Taylor,  I  did  also. 

"  On  Sunday  morning  we  embarked  on  the  Hamlet, 
passed  the  castle  where  Hamlet's  father's  ghost  walked, 
and  proceeded  on  a  glassy-smooth  sea  to  Copenhagen. 
I  packed  up  everything,  even  my  mackintosh  ;  and  at 
one  o'clock  we  started  calmly,  but  after  dinner  it  gradu- 
ally got  rougher  and  colder.  Still  the  cabin  was  warm, 
and  notwithstanding  some  sick  occupants  of  it,  I  slept 
till  seven  o'clock,  when  we  sighted  Lubeck,  which  we 
approached  by  a  winding  little  river  which  winds  itself 
till  one  is  almost  surprised  it  does  not  get  entangled  and 
tie  itself  into  a  knot. 

"  At  three  o'clock  we  reached  Hamburg,  through 
whose  grand  streets  we  drove  ;  but  here  we  had  many 
miles  to  go  to  catch  the  train,  and  for  two  hours  we 
endured  mental  torture,  to  be  imagined  rather  than  de- 
scribed, our  feelings  being  super-aggravated  by  two  fer- 
ries  over   the  Elbe,  and   one  custom-house.     But  we 

138 


1856      DEATH    OF    COLONEL    DAMER 

arrived  in  time,  and  had  no  doubt  Ave  should  have  equal- 
ly arrived  in  time  had  we  calmly  enjoyed  the  drive  like 
gentlemen,  instead  of  losing  our  tempers,  swearing  at 
the  driver,  biting  our  nails  to  the  quick,  tugging  at  the 
ferry  ropes,  etc. 

*'We  reached  Cologne  at  7.30,  where  there  were  very 
lamentable  attempts  at  a  decoration  for  the  king,  and 
many  disagreeable  English  from  the  Ehine.  Ultimate- 
ly we  got  to  Calais  at  two  o'clock,  where  we  found  our 
friend  the  Garland  and  a  smooth  sea,  and  at  nine  o'clock 
were  at  my  father's  house  in  Wilton  Crescent  rejoicing." 

On  March  30,  1856,  peace  with  Russia  was  finally 
settled,  and  formally  proclaimed  by  heralds  at  Charing 
Cross  and  the  Mansion  House,  on  the  same  day  as  the 
proclamation  of  the  Peace  of  Amiens  in  1802 — a  peace 
that  Sheridan  said  "everybody  rejoiced  at,  and  of  which 
everybody  was  ashamed."  London  was  treated  to  an 
enormous  display  of  fireworks  in  the  Green  Park,  which 
I  saw  from  Lady  Sydney's  windows  in  Cleveland  Square. 

So  the  war  was  over  ;  the  Treaty  of  Paris  was  signed 
—the  war  which  had  cost  England  25,000  English  lives 
and  added  £50,000,000  to  our  National  Debt !  What 
had  we  gained  ? 

"'Why  that  I  cannot  tell,'  said  he; 
'But  'twas  a  famous  victory.'" 

In  this  year,  while  the  dregs  of  a  fancy-dress  ball  were 
still  masquerading  at  Covent  Garden  Theatre,  it  caught 
fire  and  was  burned  to  the  ground.  I  went  that  after- 
noon with  Lady  Augusta  Seymour  and  her  daughters, 
and  roamed  all  over  the  ruins. 

In  April,  Colonel  Damer,  the  father  of  my  great  friends 
Seymour  and  Miss  Constance  Damer,  died.  He  and  his 
wife  had  filled  a  great  space  in  London  society.  She  was 
a  Miss  Seymour ;   her  mother  (Lady  Horatia  Seymour) 

139 


RP:C0L  LECTIONS  1855- 

having  died  when  she  was  a  cliild,  she  was  brought  up 
in  the  care  of  the  famous  Mrs.  Fitzherbert,  the  wife  of 
the  Regent,  afterwards  George  IV.  On  his  death,  Mrs. 
Darner  recollected  the  Duke  of  Clarence,  William  IV., 
calling  on  Mrs.  Fitzherbert  and  begging  her  to  put  her 
servants  into  royal  liveries,  and  to  allow  herself  to  be 
made  a  duchess.  She  declined  the  offer,  sa5nng  she  had 
never  done  anything  to  tarnish  the  name  she  bore,  and 
she  preferred  it  to  any  other. 

Colonel  Damer  in  1835  had  been  second  to  Lord  Al- 
vanley  when  he  fought  ]\Iorgan  O'Connell,  on  Wimble- 
don Common.  Morgan  took  up  the  quarrel  for  his 
father,  who  had  called  Alvanley  a  ''bloated  buffoon." 
In  1813,  Colonel  Damer  had  been  on  the  staff  of  Sir  R. 
Wilson,  and  was  present  on  the  retreat  of  the  French 
cavalry  from  Moscow  ;  he  served  in  the  battles  of  1813, 
and  in  1814  entered  Rome  with  the  allied  armies;  was 
present  on  the  staff  of  the  Prince  of  Orange  at  Quatre 
Bras  and  Waterloo,  where  he  was  wounded  and  had  two 
horses  shot  under  him.  Curiously  enough,  Prince  Na- 
poleon, afterwards  Emperor,  proposed  to  and  was  re- 
fused by  his  daughter,  who  became  Lady  Ebrington. 
Ilis  house  was  within  three  or  four  doors  of  my  father's 
house  in  Wilton  Crescent,  and  his  death  was  a  real  loss 
to  us. 

On  a  lovely  May  morning,  the  18th,  I  went  to  the  gar- 
den of  the  Admiralty  to  see  the  distribution  of  Crimean 
medals  by  the  Queen.  We  were  then  all  rather  bitten 
with  the  "Quelle  grande  chose  d'etre  militaire  "  idea, 
and  the  sentimental  side  of  our  nature  was  moved  by 
this  beautiful  and  toucliing  siglit. 

Sir  Thomas  Troubridgc,  of  the  7th  Fusiliers,  was 
tlie  liero  of  the  day,  as  he  was  wheeled  up  in  his  Bath 
chair  to  receive  the  Crimean  medal.  Both  his  feet  had 
been  shot  away  when  in  the  advanced  trenches  ;  he  had 

140 


1856  A    CITY    SCANDAL 

desired  his  legs  to  be  raised  on  a  gun  to  stay  the  flow  of 
blood,  and  continued  giving  his  orders  until  he  was  re- 
lieved in  his  command.  Another  officer,  Captain  Sayer, 
also  was  unable  to  get  out  of  his  chair  and  was  wheeled 
past  her  Majesty.  All  the  generals — Lord  Lucan,  Lord 
Cardigan,  General  Scarlett,  and  others  —  were  there; 
Lord  Cardigan  playing  the  part  of  the  swashbuckler. 
When  the  ceremony  was  over,  he  went  to  luncheon, 
threw  himself  on  the  sofa,  and  said  he  had  at  last  es- 
caped from  the  ovations  of  an  enthusiastic  crowd  I 

In  this  month  the  City  world  was  scandalized  by  the 
failure  of  Paul,  Strahan  &  Bates,  and  the  revelations 
consequent  upon  it.  They  had  made  away  with  their 
customers'  securities,  and  were  convicted  of  felony  and 
sentenced  by  Baron  Alderson  to  fourteen  years'  penal 
servitude.  *'It  only  shows,"  he  said,  ''how  we  all  ought 
to  pray  to  be  delivered  from  temptation."  Sir  John  Paul 
had  led  a  very  ostentatiously  religious  life,  and  it  was 
said  of  him  that  he  used  the  words  of  St.  Paul :  "  I 
would  that  all  men  were  like  as  I  am,  excepting  these 
bonds  !" 

It  was  in  May,  1856,  also  that  great  excitement  was 
caused  by  the  discovery  that  a  sporting  man  named 
Palmer  had  poisoned  some  of  his  betting  friends,  to 
whom  he  had  lost  money,  by  administering  a  horrible 
poison,  then  heard  of  for  the  first  time  as  strychnine. 
The  tortures  they  must  have  suffered  were  terrible.  I 
went  to  see  his  trial  at  the  Old  Bailey,  where  he  was  con- 
victed and  subsequently  hanged. 

There  was  also  a  trial  of  a  man  named  Dove  for  the 
murder  of  his  wife.  Among  his  papers  was  found  a 
touching  letter  from  a  friend,  saying  :  "  If  you  will  go  to 
Hell,  you  shall  climb  over  mountains  of  prayers  and  wade 
through  seas  of  tears." 

These  were  the  days  of  the  new  daguerreotype  mania, 

141 


RECOLLECTIONS  1855-1856 

and  one  day  I  met,  at  a  big  dinner  at  Lady  Clarendon's, 
Lady  Morley,  well  known  for  her  wit,  who,  when  some 
one  complained  of  the  dull  weather,  said :  "  How  do  you 
expect  the  sun  to  shine  now,  when  he  is  fully  occupied 
every  day  in  taking  likenesses  in  Regent  Street?"  Ob- 
jecting to  the  new  fashion  of  beards,  which  the  Crimea 
had  introduced,  she  said,  nodding  across  at  the  Duke  of 
Newcastle,  who  wore  a  large  one :  "  I  can  always  know 
how  many  courses  he  has  eaten  at  dinner  by  looking  at 
his  beard !" 


CHAPTER   VI 

1856-1858 

Lord  Palmerston  and  Life  Peerages — Visit  to  Hinchinbroke — Meet- 
ing with  Lord  Granville — His  Career,  Manners,  and  Wit — Charles 
Gore's  Reminiscences  of  the  Court — Anecdotes  of  Count  d'Orsay 
— Lord  Sydney,  the  Ideal  Lord  Chamberlain — Henry  and  Monty 
Corry — "Jacob  Omnium"  and  the  Guards — Lord  Somerton  and 
his  Wife — Delane,  of  the  Times:  his  Meeting  with  Disraeli — 
Dicky  Doyle— With  the  Militia  at  Barnet— Theatrical  and  Opera- 
tic Memories— Visit  to  Althorp — Lord  Spencer  and  the  Dealer — 
The  China  War  and  General  Election — The  Indian  Mutiny — 
Defeat  and  Resignation  of  Lord  Palmerston  —  Lord  Derby 
Prime  Minister. 

In  this  year  (185G)  Lord  Palmerston  attempted  to 
create  life  peerages,  but  his  proposal  was  opposed  by 
Lord  Lyndhurst,  then  eighty -four  years  of  age,  and  de- 
feated by  a  large  majority.  The  corpus  vile  on  which 
Lord  Palmerston  made  his  experiment  was  Baron  Parke, 
whom  he  had  created  Lord  "Wensleydale.  I  was  often  at 
his  house  at  Ampthill,  near  Woburn,  and  enjoyed  his 
kindness  and  hospitality.  There  were  many  bad  jokes 
made  on  this  occasion,  such  as  allusions  to  the  barren 
fig-tree,  etc. 

A  great  deal  of  this  year  was  spent  by  me  at  Hinch- 
inbroke, Lord  Sandwich's  lovely  Elizabethan  house  in 
Huntingdonshire.  Lady  Sandwich,  who  had  been  Lady 
Mary  Paget,  a  daughter  of  Lord  Anglesey,  was  a  great 
friend  of  mine  ;  indeed,  I  lived  almost  entirely  among 

143 


RECOLLECTIONS  1856- 

lier  family,  dividing  my  time  between  her  sisters'  houses 
at  Moor  Park  and  Frognal  and  Lady  Adelaide  Cadogan's 
and  Lord  George  Paget's  in  London.    It  was  at  Hinchin- 
broke  that  I  first  made  acquaintance  with  Lord  Granville, 
wlio  was  then  always  called  "  Pussy,"  and  was  ami  de  la 
maison.     He  told  me  that  some  years  ago,  when  he  had 
been  offered  the  mastershijo  of  the  Buckhounds  by  Lord 
John  Russell,  he  had  hesitated,  but  before  refusing  the 
office  he  sought  the  advice  of  Lord  Lausdowne,  who  said 
that  he  never  knew  a  man  who  was  less  likely  to  get 
what  he  wanted  from  having  something  to  give  up;  and 
on  this  he  accepted  the  office,  which  he  only  held  for  a 
short  time,  for  at  the  end  of  the  year  he  became  Vice- 
President  of  tlie  Board  of  Trade,  and  in  1851  he  entered 
the  Cabinet,  succeeding  Lord  Palmerston  at  the  Foreign 
Office,  the  seals  of  which  he  held  until  the  resignation 
of  Lord  John  Russell's  government  in  1852.     In  Lord 
Aberdeen's  government  he  became  Lord  President  of 
the  Council,  and  in  1855  he  became  the  leader  of  the 
Liberal  party  in  the  House  of  Lords,  a  position  he  held 
in  spite  of  fearful  odds  with  dignity  and  honor  until  the 
time  of  his  death.    He  twice  had  the  Prime  Ministership 
within  his  grasp.     In   Mr.  Gladstone's  government   of 
18G8  he  became  Colonial  Minister  until  he   succeeded 
to  the  Foreign  Office  on  the  death  of  Lord  Clarendon  in 
1870,  when  he  was  told  on  the  highest  authority  that  not 
a  cloud  obscured  the  prospect  of  peace  on  the  Continent. 
Within  a  fortnight  war  was  declared  between  France  and 
Germany,  and  Avithin  a  month  their  forces  had  met  face 
to  face  on  the  battle-fields  of  Saarbrtlck  and  Weissenburg. 
In  all  the  anxious  and  perilous  times  that  followed.  Lord 
Granville  successfully  maintained  a  strict  neutrality.     If 
he  will  not  rank  in  history  as  a  great  constructive  states- 
man, to  him  at  least  should   be   accorded   some  of  the 
gratitude  which  fell  to  the  lot  of  Sir  Robert  Walpole,  who 

144 


vya/r- 


1858  LORD    GRANVILLE   • 

kept  England  at  peace.  During  the  painful  cleavage 
caused  by  the  introduction  of  Home  Rule  in  1886,  when 
official  and  social  ties  were  snapped  asunder  like  smoking 
flax,  Lord  Granville  never  made  an  enemy  or  lost  a  friend. 
His  manners  were  so  gentle  aud  fascinating  that  many 
people  were  led  into  doubting  his  sincerity.  Never  was 
there  so  great  a  delusion. 

"  For  manners  are  not  idle,  but  the  fruit 
Of  loyal  nature,  and  of  noble  mind." 

True,  that  underneath  his  velvet  glove  the  iron  hand  was 
sometimes  to  be  found.  I  well  recollect  how  severely  he 
rebuked  a  peer  who  had  ratted  and  was  attacking  his  old 
friends.  "  The  noble  lord  who  has  Just  spoken/'  he  said, 
"  has  an  advantage  over  most  of  us ;  he  has  had  the  privi- 
lege of  viewing  the  question  from  both  sides  of  the 
shield." 

To  say  that  Lord  Granville  was  a  polished  and  refined 
gentleman,  a  joyous  and  hospitable  host,  an  inimitable 
conversationalist,  and  an  accomplished  linguist  with  cos- 
mopolitan knowledge,  would  be  the  tritest  of  trite  plati- 
tudes. Of  what  he  was  to  me  I  can  hardly  venture  to 
speak.  He  gave  me  for  many  years  his  confidence,  which 
I  tried  to  deserve.  He  gave  me  on  many  occasions  kind 
and  wise  advice,  which  perhaps  vainly,  but  at  any  rate 
earnestly,  I  endeavored  to  follow ;  and  he  gave  me  his 
friendship,  the  honor  and  memory  of  which  I  shall  never 
cease  to  cherish. 

He  was  an  excellent  after-dinner  speaker,  and  took 
the  chair  so  often  that  he  said  he  had  earned  the  title 
of  "Pere  la  Chaise."  At  an  Academy  dinner,  where,  in 
Mr.  Gladstone's  absence,  he  had  to  make  a  speech,  he  told 
the  President  that  he  suspected  that  he  had  been  read- 
ing a  newspaper  which  was  often  lying  on  his  wife's 
table,  called  the  Exchange  and  3fart,  and  had  answered 
K  145 


IIECOLLECTIONS  1856- 

an  advertisement  offering  to  exchange  "a,  singing  bird 
for  iiii  old  muff."  He  always  declared  that  a  public  audi- 
ence preferred  an  old  joke  to  a  new  one.  "  Have  you  not 
often  seen,"  he  said,  "at  a  dull  opera  the  prima  donna 
come  forward  and  sing  'The  Last  Rose  of  Summer/  or 
some  old  familar  song?  The  whole  house  wakens  up, 
beats  time,  nods  to  friends  in  the  boxes,  and  enjoys  it 
more  than  any  new  music."  Lord  Plunket,  the  orator, 
told  him  that  he  laid  it  down  as  an  axiom,  always  to 
make  a  pause  before  bringing  out  any  phrase  which  he 
had  particularly  prepared,  to  give  his  hearers  the  idea 
that  it  was  impromptu.  He  told  this  anecdote  to  Mr. 
Disraeli,  who  replied,  ''  Don't  we  always  do  it  ?" 

I  noticed  in  subsequent  speeches  of  his  that  it  was 
true. 

Charles  Gore  was  also  constantly  with  the  Sandwiches. 
He  was  much  about  the  Court  in  the  early  days  of  the 
reign,  and  used  to  tell  us  of  Prince  Albert's  visit  to 
Windsor,  and  how  he  was  kept  waiting  in  the  corridor 
with  the  household  before  starting  for  the  ride  with  the 
Queen  in  the  park  which  settled  their  future  so  happily. 
The  Queen,  as  we  have  all  seen  her  in  engravings,  wears 
a  habit  almost  touching  the  ground,  with  a  school-boy's 
cap  with  a  tassel  on  her  head.  On  that  day  the  ministers 
accompanying  her  fell  back,  and  the  Prince  was  allowed 
to  ride  by  her  Majesty's  side,  and  on  their  return  he  was 
no  longer  made  to  wait  with  the  household  in  the  corri- 
dor, but  had  been  accepted  as  the  Queen's  husband. 
Charles  Gore  used  also  to  tell  us  another  interesting  little 
story  of  one  night  when  the  Queen,  after  dinner,  put  her 
finger  up  and  said  "  Hush  !"  and  the  guests,  looking 
round,  saw  Lord  Melbourne,  whom  she  was  anxious  not 
to  disturb,  fast  asleep  in  his  chair. 

Lord  Granville  told  us  of  D'Orsay's  being  at  a  dinner 
at  Disraeli's  which  was  not  of  a  kind  to  suit  the  fashion- 

146 


1858  ANECDOTES    OF    D'ORSAY 

able  gotirmet,  and  where  everything  had  been  cold.  At 
the  end  of  the  dinner  there  was  brought  in  some  half- 
melted  ice  in  a  dish.  "Thank  Heaven  \"  said  D'Orsay; 
*'at  last  we  have  got  something  hot." 

When  Lady  Blessington  sent  D'Orsay  to  complain  of 
some  delay  on  the  part  of  her  publishers,  he  used  very 
strong  language.  A  dignified  man  in  a  high  white  neck- 
cloth, who  was  listening  to  him,  said  :  "  Count  d'Orsay, 
I  would  sooner  lose  Lady  Blessington's  patronage  than 
submit  to  such  personal  abuse." 

''There  was  nothing  personal,"  said  the  Count.  "If 
you  are  Otley,  then  damn  Saunders  ;  if  you  are  Saunders, 
then  damn  Otley." 

At  Holland  House  the  table  was  often  uncomfortably 
crowded,  and  on  one  occasion,  some  unexpected  guests 
arriving,  Lady  Holland  said  to  Luttrell,  "Will  you  please 
make  room  ?" 

"Yes/'  he  said,  "we  must  make  it,  for  it  does  not 
exist." 

We  have,  most  of  us,  I  am  sure,  in  our  cynical  mo- 
ments, criticised  the  irony  of  fate  which  has  so  often  in 
our  experience  put  round  pegs  into  square  and  square 
pegs  into  round  holes ;  but  never  was  the  eternal  fit- 
ness of  things  so  exemplified  as  in  the  arrangement  that 
Lord  Sydney,  who  with  his  wife  was  a  frequent  visitor 
at  Hinchinbroke,  should  be  an  almost  perpetual  Lord 
Chamberlain.  An  aristocrat  himself,  and  connected  by 
marriage  with  the  bluest  of  blue  blood  in  England,  with 
a  certain  pompous  glorification  of  his  office,  an  early 
friend  at  Court,  popular  with  everybody,  and  in  all 
societies,  foreign  as  well  as  English  ;  courteous,  hospi- 
table, and  rich,  he  was  an  ideal  occupant  of  the  post. 
Those  who  knew  him  would  have  been  amused  at  what 
he  told  me  had  happened  at  a  Mansion  House  dinner  in 
the  mayoralty  of  Mr.  Sidney,  who  came  up  to  him  in  a 

147 


RECOLLECTIONS  1856- 

truly  affable  spirit,  and  said  :  "  Oddly  enough,  my  lord, 
there  are  three  of  us  'ere  to-night ;  there's  me  and  you 
and  Sidney  'Erbert." 

Lord  Sydney  was  very  much  opposed  to  tlie  High 
Church  movement ;  but  at  his  funeral  at  Chislehurst  I 
never  witnessed  so  ornate  a  ceremonial.  Over  the  open 
vault  stood  the  poor  ex-Empress  Eugenie,  like  a  beauti- 
ful statue.  They  had  been  great  friends;  indeed,  there 
were  few  who  had  not  shared  in  his  kindness  and  hos- 
pitality, and  his  place  as  Lord  Chamberlain  will  never 
be  filled  so  well  again. 

At  Hinchinbroke  I  met  Jem  Macdonald,  who  had 
served  as  aide-de-camp  to  the  Duke  of  Cambridge  in  the 
Crimea,  and  who,  when  at  the  Alma  he  had  his  horse 
shot  under  him,  said  :  "Just  the  kind  of  thing  that  is 
sure  to  happen  to  a  jioor  man."  Here,  also,  I  met  Lord 
and  Lady  Bradford  ;  the  witty  Miss  Mary  Boyle,  who 
delighted  us  with  her  acting.  Lady  Chesterfield  was  to 
me  very  alarming;  but  her  daughter,  Lady  Evelyn  Stan- 
hope, who  had  hardly  emerged  from  girlhood  to  wom- 
anhood, fascinated  with  her  almost  mature  beauty  and 
charmed  with  her  talents  the  men  and  women  of  an 
older  generation.  I  look  back  with  infinite  delight  to 
happy  hours  passed  listening  to  her  low -voiced  and 
musically  attuned  recitations,  which  so  impressed  me 
that  even  now,  in  my  old  age,  I  can  repeat  pages  of 
poems  that  I  learned  only  from  her.  She  married  Lord 
Carnarvon  and  died  young,  leaving  daughters  with  an 
almost  equal  charm,  and  perhaps  with  even  a  rarer 
beauty. 

Henry  Corry  was  a  constant  guest  who  entertained  us 
with  humorous  stories  and  witty  verses,  but  whose  chief 
claim  to  my  gratitude  was  that  he  was  the  father  of 
Monty  Corry,  the  cheeriest  and  best  of  friends.  It  is 
not  very  long  ago  since  the  latter  told  me  of  his  first 

148 


1858  "JACOB    OMNIUM" 

meeting  with  his  great  master,  Mr.  Disraeli.  They  met 
at  a  party  at  the  Duchess  of  Cleveland's,  at  Raby  ;  after 
dinner  Mr.  Disraeli  was  playing  Avhist,  and  Monty,  over- 
flowing with  youthful  spirits,  was  entertaining  the  rest 
of  the  company  with  songs  and  dancing,  when  he  saw 
Mr.  Disraeli  apjaroaching  and  scrutinizing  him  through 
his  eyeglass.  He  felt  someAviiat  shy,  but  Mr.  Disraeli 
put  his  hand  on  his  shoulder,  saying  how  amused  he  was, 
and  that  he  should  apply  to  him  when  he  wanted  an  im- 
presario. When  the  Tory  government  succeeded  to  office 
Monty  wrote  to  Mr.  Disraeli,  reminding  him  of  their 
meeting,  and  asking  him  if  he  could  help  him  to  a  pri- 
vate secretaryship  to  any  of  his  subordinates.  The  next 
day  he  received  a  note  from  Mr.  Earle,  who  was  then 
with  Mr.  Disraeli,  summoning  him  to  Downing  Street, 
where  he  was  told  that  he  would  be  ajjpointed  private 
secretary  to  Mr.  Disraeli  himself ;  and  from  that  day  be- 
gan a  friendship  which  only  ended  in  death. 

Mr.  Higgins  was  a  great  character  at  this  time — great 
in  every  way — for  he  was  about  six  feet  eight  inches 
high,  and  big  in  proportion.  It  was  always  said  that  he 
was  rejected  as  being  too  big  for  the  Life  Guards,  and  in 
consequence  always  bore  them  a  grudge.  He  used  to 
write  of  their  duties  as  consisting  only  of  gentle  oscilla- 
tion between  Eegent's  Park  and  the  Horse  Guards.  He 
was  best  known  under  the  nom  de  guerre  of  "Jacob  Om- 
nium," and  sometimes  ''A  Thirsty  Soul."'  He  was  a 
brilliant  writer,  and  was  endowed  with  a  considerable 
power  of  sarcasm. 

After  the  taking  of  Lucknow  Colonel  Inglis  was  ga- 
zetted a  military  K.C.B.  Unfortunately  in  the  same 
Gazette  appeared  the  appointment  of  two  Household 
officials.  Colonel  Phipps  to  be  a  civil  K.C.B.,  while  Gen- 
eral Charles  Grey  was  given  a  regiment — two  very  proper 
appointments.     This  was   too  good  an  opportunity  for 

149 


RECOLLECTIONS  1856- 

Jacob  Omnium  to  let  slip,  and  he  wrote  a  furious  letter 
to  the  Times,  heading  it:  "Kings  with  their  armies  did 
flee,  and  were  discomfited  :  and  they  of  the  household 
divided  the  spoil." 

lie  was  a  great  friend  of  Lord  Somerton's,  and  was 
much  opposed  to  the  western  emigration  that  had  set  in 
in  the  direction  of  .South  Kensington,  The  latter  had 
taken  a  house  in  Ennismore  Gardens,  and  had  invited 
the  former  to  dinner  : 

"  I  suppose  I  had  better  bring  my  gun  with  me,"  said 
Jacob  Omnium;  ''for  I  hear  you  have  taken  a  cottage 
in  a  lane  on  the  way  to  Ilounslow." 

I  cannot  mention  the  name  of  Lord  Somerton  without 
recording  his  many  charms.  He  was  cursed  with  a  bad 
temper ;  but  in  spite  of  that  it  was  impossible  not  to  be 
attracted  by  his  kindness  and  hospitality. 

He  had  married  Lord  Harrington's  beautiful  daugh- 
ter, who  was  more  of  a  sister  than  a  first  cousin  of  my 
wife's.  Besides  their  "  cottage  in  a  lane  on  the  way  to 
Hounslow,"  they  possessed  Somerley,  in  Hampshire,  a 
place  which  united  every  charm  it  was  possible  to  meet 
with  in  combination.  Though  not  outwardly  pretty,  it 
contained,  among  other  treasures,  the  finest  collection  of 
Sir  Joshua  Reynolds's  pictures  in  England.  There  was 
trout,  grayling,  and  salmon  fishing ;  hunting  in  the 
DoAvn  county  with  Lord  Portman,  or  with  the  more 
*'pewy"  difficulties  of  the  Blackmoor  Vale,  to  say  noth- 
ing of  the  fox  and  stag  hunting  of  the  New  Forest, 
shooting  and  lovely  scenery  of  all  kinds  ;  and  all  within 
two  hours  of  London.  These,  with  a  delightful  hostess, 
realized  all  the  desires  of  the  most  fastidious  country- 
house  visitor. 

One  of  Lady  Somerton's  sisters  had  married  Lord 
Strathmore,  and,  as  a  young  woman  on  her  first  visit  to 
Glamis,  she  was  fired  with  the  ambition  of  discovering 

150 


1858  JOHN    DELANE 

the  haunted  room,  of  which  popular  report  had  spoken 
so  freely.  She  could  never  persuade  her  husband  to 
speak  of  these  legends  ;  so  one  day  when  he  was  out 
shooting,  she  collected  all  the  towels  in  the  house  and 
hung  one  out  of  each  window,  in  an  endeavor  to  find  a 
window  from  outside  without  a  towel.  Unfortunately 
for  her  search  after  knowledge,  Lord  Strathmore  re- 
turned, and  refused  to  allow  any  further  experiments  to 
be  made,  or  the  subject  of  the  supposed  mystery  even  to 
be  mentioned. 

I  frequently  met  in  these  days  John  Delane,  the  edi- 
tor of  the  Times,  who  was  one  of  the  most  astonishing 
men  of  my  day.  How  he  ever  attained  a  position  so  pe- 
culiar to  himself  in  political  and  social  society  was  a  won- 
der ;  for  it  was  not  only  being  the  editor  of  the  Times 
that  gave  it  him — editors  of  the  Times  have  existed  be- 
fore and  since  Delane — but  none,  I  will  venture  to  say, 
ever  filled  the  place  in  society  that  he  did.  He  was  in 
the  confidence  of  everybody  of  both  political  parties,  and 
this  confidence  he  never  betrayed.  No  minister  would 
have  thought  it  odd  if  he  had  sent  in  his  card  and  asked 
to  see  him  at  any  hour  of  the  day  or  night.  In  society 
he  was  sought,  of  course,  for  the  power  he  had,  more 
than  for  any  personal  charm.  He  had  a  genius  of  some 
sort,  but  it  did  not  show  itself  on  the  surface. 

He  became  editor  at  the  age  of  twenty  -  three ;  and 
held  the  post  for  thirty-five  years,  when  the  influence  of 
the  Times  was  at  its  height.  At  the  time  of  the  dispute 
with  the  United  States  on  the  Oregon  question,  the  an- 
nouncement of  the  free-tratle  policy  of  Sir  Robert  Peel 
was  made  in  the  Times.  There  was  a  false  and  mali- 
cious story  that  the  news  was  extracted  from  Sidney  Her- 
bert and  given  to  the  Times  by  Mrs.  Norton  ;  but  I  have 
it  on  the  authority  of  Sir  William  Stephenson,  who  was 
then  private  secretary  to  Sir  Eobert  Peel,  that  it  was  de- 

151 


RECOLLECTIONS  1856- 

liberately  given  to  the  Times  by  Lord  Aberdeen^  with 
the  object  of  conciliating  the  United  States. 

A  lady  told  me  she  was  present  when  Disraeli  and 
Delane  first  met.  Disraeli  overwhelmed  him  with  flat- 
tery. 

''  Did  you  like  it  ?"  said  my  friend  to  Delane  after- 
wards. 

"No/'  he  replied;  ''but  I  like  to  think  that  Disraeli 
thought  I  was  of  sufficient  importance  to  make  it  worth 
his  while." 

Dicky  Doyle — I  can  call  him  by  no  other  name — was 
the  son  of  the  famous  caricaturist  "  H.B.,"  who  delighted 
our  fathers  with  his  facile  pencil.  He  drew  the  original 
of  the  frontispiece  which  still  adorns  the  outer  sheet  of 
Punch,  and  was  the  author  of  "  Manners  and  Customs"  in 
that  periodical.  He  was  bright  and  gay  in  conversation, 
and  singularly  gentle  and  child-like  in  disposition.  He 
Avas  a  Roman  Catholic,  and  proved  his  sincerity  by  leav- 
ing Punch  when  that  journal,  in  his  opinion,  became 
offensive  to  his  religion.  He  died  in  December,  1883, 
very  suddenly,  leaving  the  world  the  poorer. 

In  the  autumn  I  sjjent  a  happy  month  with  my  militia 
at  Barnet.  Lord  Strafford,  who  lived  at  Wrotham,  was 
our  colonel ;  Lord  Enfield,  his  son,  lieutenant-colonel ; 
and  Henry  Sotheby,  of  the  60th  Rifles,  our  major.  The 
fun  we  had  was  tremendous,  and  our  mess  was  riotous 
with  laughter.  Dr.  Macau  was  our  doctor,  who  had  in 
old  times  been  so  badly  treated  by  Lord  Waterford  and 
Jesse ;  he  used  to  drink  too  much  and  sing  us  Irish  songs. 
Lord  Bury,  who  had  left  the  Scots  Fusiliers, was  the  life 
and  soul  of  our  meeting.  St.  Leger  Glyn,  Charlie  and 
Henry  Grenfeli,  also  were  officers. 

On  looking  back  to  those  days,  I  think  we  had  more 
fun  and  laughter  than  any  body  of  men  who  ever  lived. 
We  nearly  all  belonged  to  Brooks's;  were  in  the  same  so- 

152 


1868       THEATRES    AND    THE    OPERA 

ciety,  and  had  our  jokes  in  common.  On  one  great  oc- 
casion we  drove  up  to  the  "Ship  and  Turtle/'  where 
poor  St.  Leger  Glyn  gave  us  a  dinner  on  our  way  to  the 
Olympic  to  see  the  new  actor  Robsou,  who  was  then  tak- 
ing the  town  by  storm  in  a  burlesque  in  which  he  sang 
"Old  Dog  Tray."  I  fear,  however,  that  our  laughter 
expended  itself  on  a  song  called  the  "White  Squall" 
before  Robson  came  on.  He  was  an  actor  who  could 
move  to  laughter  and  tears  equally.  Alfred  Wigan,  a 
contemporary  actor,  told  me  he  always  felt  what  he 
acted,  and  soon  wore  himself  out  and  died. 

I  have  seen  in  my  life  many  distinguished  actors,  from 
the  time  when  in  my  boyhood  my  brothers  and  I  used 
constantly  to  enjoy  the  transpontine  glories  of  the  Sur- 
rey Theatre,  where  we  were  given  a  large  box  by  a  cousin 
of  my  father's — and  so  I  suppose  of  mine — who  in  vir- 
tue of  his  being  the  ground-landlord  had  this  privilege. 
There  we  witnessed  the  thrilling  melodrama  of  "  Black- 
eyed  Susan,"  when  T.  P.  Cooke  carried  away  the  house 
by  his  impersonation  of  the  honest  British  tar. 

I  saw,  too,  the  pretty  Clara  Webster  in  the  "Revolt 
of  the  Harem,"  only  a  very  short  time  before  she  was 
burned  to  death  while  acting  in  the  same  play  at  Drury 
Lane. 

My  next  theatrical  experience  I  gained  when  a  boy  at 
Eton,  when  with  Talfourd  I  escaped  from  my  Dame's 
house  after  lock-up,  and,  disguised  as  a  page,  witnessed 
the  "Wife's  Secret."  Here  I  made  the  acquaintance  of 
Charles  Kean,  in  whose  veins  was  the  blood  of  the  great 
Marquis  of  Halifax,  who  himself  had  been  an  Eton  boy. 
Of  course  I  saw  him  more  frequently  and  more  comfort- 
ably in  later  years.  I  saw,  too,  Rachel  in  her  Avonderful 
play  "Adrienne  Lecouvreur,"  where  she  died  on  the 
stage — a  death  she  was  accused  of  having  studied  in  the 
wards  of  many  hospitals. 

153 


RECOLLECTIONS  1856- 

The  theatres  were  at  this  time  few,  and  the  prices  low. 
Impecunions  young  men  of  fashion,  after  nine  o'clock, 
used  to  take  advantage  of  half-price  and  the  dress-circle 
— for  stalls  had  not  then  destroyed  the  pit — to  hear  the 
Keans,  the  Keeleys,  and  Buckstone.  Vauxhall,  with  its 
thousands  of  little  oil  lamps,  was  near  its  end,  and  was 
soon  to  be  succeeded  by  Cremorne,  and  then  by  various 
more  reputable  and  dull  entertainments  at  South  Ken- 
sington. 

Later  on  I  admired  Each  el,  Ristori  (who  was  after- 
wards a  friend  of  my  Avife's),  and  Salvini;  Fechter  and 
Madame  Doche  in  ''  La  Dame  aux  Camelias,"  in  Paris. 
Fechter  I  saw  again  when  ho  acted  in  "Buy  Bias"  and 
the  "  Duke's  Motto,"  in  London. 

In  another  direction  of  theatrical  art,  I  saw  Madame 
Celeste  in  the  ''Green  Bushes,"  and  Wright,  a  comic  and 
vulgar  Adelphi  actor,  with  his  butt,  Paul  Bedford. 

At  the  opera  I  heard  Mario  and  Grisi  at  their  best. 
When  the  Czar  saw  her  children,  he  said,  "I  suppose 
these  are  little  Grisettes."  ''No,  Sire,"  Grisi  replied; 
"they  are  little  Marionettes." 

I  heard  Jenny  Lind,  Sontag,  Cruvelli,  Tamberlik  ; 
and  in  the  ballet  days  admired  the  graceful  dancing  of 
Cerito,  Fanny  Ellsler,  Carlotta  Grisi,  Rosati,  and  Taglioni, 
who  only  died  in  1884,  the  same  year  as  Fanny  Ellsler. 

In  my  salad  days  I  became  a  member  of  Pratt's,  where 
I  verified  Lord  Palmerston's  quotation  from  Moore,  that 

"The  best  of  all  ways  to  lengtlicn  our  days 
Is  to  steal  a  few  hours  from  the  night." 

It  had  originally  been  a  public  billiard-room  in  Cork 
Street,  patronized  by  old  Lord  Tenterden,  Lord  Dudley, 
Lord  Eglinton,  and  other  famous  players,  under  whose 
auspices  it  was  removed  to  Park  Place  in  1841 ;  but  in 
1847  an  Act  of  Piirliament  was  passed  which  would  have 

154 


1858        LORD    SPENCER'S    BARGAIN 

had  the  effect  of  closing  it  at  twelve  o'clock.  This  did 
not  at  all  suit  its  habitues,  who  changed  it  into  a  club, 
which  exists  to  the  present  da}^,  where  mutton  chops, 
kidneys,  and  '' bottom  crusts"  are  served  till  any  hour 
of  the  morning  to  members,  after  the  theatres,  or  even 
after  balls. 

Old  Pratt,  a  real  character  —  as  much  at  home  serv- 
ing his  guests  at  supper  or  sitting  at  table  with  them  at 
dinner — died  in  1861. 

In  February,  1857,  I  paid  a  visit,  which  had  been  pre- 
viously postponed,  to  Althorp,  and  saw  for  the  first  time 
the  splendid  library  of  which  I  had  always  heard  so 
much.  It  was  a  very  pleasant  party,  and  I  was  amused 
at  a  story  of  Lord  Spencer's,  of  a  dealer  in  Bond  Street 
having  cheated  him.  He  was  a  sailor,  and  knew  little 
of  the  fine  arts,  specimens  of  which  he  had  inherited. 

'*  Here  is  a  very  fine  bit  of  pottery,  which  your  lord- 
ship ought  to  have  in  your  collection,"  said  the  dealer ; 
"and  you  shall  have  it  very  cheap,  only  two  guineas." 
So  Lord  Spencer  bought  it,  and  showed  it — rather  proud 
of  his  bargain — to  a  connoisseur,  who  asked  what  he  had 
given  for  it,  and  remarked  that  the  marmalade  should 
have  been  included  in  the  price ;  for  really  it  was  sim- 
ply nothing  more  nor  less  than  a  shilling  marmalade  pot, 
with  a  green  thistle  painted  on  it  I  Lord  Spencer  bought 
no  more  china  on  his  own  responsibility. 

In  this  year  the  China  war  broke  out,  the  government 
were  defeated,  and  Lord  Palmerston  decided  on  a  disso- 
lution. Then  came  a  great  beating  of  the  British  drum 
and  a  great  waving  of  tlie  British  flag,  and  Palmerston 
gained  a  triumphant  majority.  Bright,  Cobden,  and  Mil- 
ner  Gibson  all  losing  their  seats.  Lord  Elgin  was  sent 
as  plenipotentiary,  and  there  was  a  question  of  my  going 
out  as  his  private  secretary;  but  happily  nothing  came 
of  the  idea,  and  I  was  a  great  gainer. 

155 


RECOLLECTIONS  1856- 

Henry  Loch,  who  subsequently  attained  to  the  post 
of  Governor  and  High  Commissioner  at  the  Cape,  went 
out  with  Lord  Elgin. 

In  the  general  election  that  occurred,  T.  G.  Baring 
left  me  in  charge  of  the  private  office  of  the  Admiralty, 
and  stood  for  Penrhyn.  In  the  middle  of  his  canvass 
there,  he  discovered  that  he  could  bring  in  another  Lib- 
eral, and  he  telegraphed  to  me  to  find  him  a  suitable 
candidate.  I  saw  George  Paget,  who  declined  ;  then, 
after  being  sent  to  Sir  William  Hayter  by  Sir  Charles 
Wood,  I  went  to  propose  that  Lord  Ashley  should  stand. 
I  saw  Lady  Shaftesbury,  saying  that  one  of  the  neces- 
sary qualifications  was  that  he  should  vote  for  the  abo- 
lition of  church  rates ;  but  Lady  Shaftesbury  said  Lord 
Palmerston  would  not  consent  to  his  standing  on  these 
terms,  which  surprised  me  very  much  at  the  time. 

I  was  greatly  interested  also  in  Lord  Robert  Gros- 
venor's  election  for  Westminster,  which  he  won ;  and  in 
Frederick  Cadogan's  standing  for  Stafford  in  vain.  I 
went  down  to  Lord  Hatherton's  at  Teddesley  and  can- 
vassed for  him.  Talbot,  afterwards  Lord  Shrewsbury, 
foolishly  took  offence  at  this,  and  never  forgave  me. 
While  at  Teddesley  I  drove  over  and  saw  Beaudesert  for 
the  first  time,  and  was  received  by  Lady  Florence  Paget, 
the  lovely  daughter  of  Lord  Anglesey,  only  about  four- 
teen years  old,  but  with  all  the  pose  and  courtesy  of  a 
grown  woman. 

But  China  and  the  elections  were  soon  mere  trifling 
episodes  in  comparison  with  the  appalling  news  of  the 
Sepoy  revolt,  which  reached  England  in  June.  It  did 
not  produce  in  society  as  much  interest  and  anxiety  as 
the  Crimean  war,  and  I  attribute  it  to  the  fact  that  in 
the  latter  the  Guards,  who  formed  a  large  part  of  the 
ball-going  world,  were  not  engaged  ;  but,  of  course,  the 
interest  taken  in  the  country  at  large  was  very  great, 

156 


1858  JEWS    IN    PARLIAMENT 

and  the  daily  details  of  the  slaughters,  massacres,  and 
revenges,  and  the  gradual  re-establishment  of  our  em- 
pire under  Lord  Canning,  occupied  all  our  thoughts. 

While  the  Indian  Mutiny  was  still  unchecked.  Lord 
Palmerston  introduced  a  Bill  for  the  transference  of  the 
government  of  India  from  the  East  India  Company  to 
the  Crown;  but  before  it  was  passed  into  law  an  inci- 
dent occurred  which  drove  him  from  oflBce. 

On  January  14,  1858,  an  attempt  had  been  made  to 
assassinate  the  Emperor  of  the  French  on  his  way  to 
the  opera.  In  Paris  it  was  believed  that  the  plot  was 
hatched  and  the  bombs  made  by  men  in  England.  The 
French  colonels  talked  of  reprisals.  The  French  am- 
bassador wrote  letters,  and  Palmerston  introduced  a  Bill 
to  amend  the  law  of  conspiracy ;  this  was  at  the  time 
foolishly  supposed  to  be  truckling  to  France,  and  Milner 
Gibson  opposed  it.  It  is  related  that  Lord  Derby,  stroll- 
ing into  the  House,  saw  the  opportunity  that  had  arisen 
of  defeating  the  government.  Sending  for  Disraeli,  who 
had  supported  the  first  reading  of  the  Bill,  he  desired 
him  to  join  the  peace  party,  which  he  did,  and  the  gov- 
ernment was  beaten  by  a  majority  of  nineteen. 

Palmerston  resigned ;  but  before  doing  so,  he  an- 
nounced the  taking  of  Canton. 

Lord  Derby  again  became  Prime  Minister,  Avith  Dis- 
raeli as  his  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer.  The  govern- 
ment was  in  a  minority,  and  his  skill  alone  kept  him  in 
office  till  the  end  of  the  session.  It  was  during  this 
time  that  Lord  John  Russell  carried  his  Bill  for  the 
admission  of  Jews  to  Parliament.  Ten  times  since  1833 
had  it  been  carried  in  the  House  of  Commons  and  re- 
jected by  the  House  of  Lords,  who  now  at  last  gave  way, 
and  Baron  Piothschild  took  his  seat  on  July  26,  1858. 

There  had  been  disturbances  in  the  Ionian  Islands, 
and  Sir  E.   Bulwer-Lytton  sent  out  Mr.   Gladstone  as 

157 


RECOLLECTIONS  1856-1858 

Lord  High  Commissioner  Extraordinary  to  inquire  into 
their  grievances;  the  result  of  his  mission  was  the  ces- 
sion of  these  islands  to  Greece. 

In  the  summer  there  was  the  famous  trial  of  Made- 
leine Smith,  at  Glasgow,  for  poisoning.  The  verdict 
was  *'non  proven."  Vernon  Smith  said  to  Bernal  Os- 
borne, on  hearing  of  it :  "  How  sad  for  the  girl ;  she 
will  always  be  known  as  a  murderess."  "Oh  no,"  said 
Bernal,  "  she  will  change  her  name  to  Vernon,  and  will 
be  quite  unknown."  This  is  what  Vernon  Smith  had 
done  himself. 


CHAPTER  VII 

1858-1861 

I  become  Engaged  to  Miss  Mary  Barrington— Her  Relations  with 
her  Grandfather,  Lord  Grey,  and  her  Uncle,  General  Grey- 
Visits  to  Woolbeding— Lady  Grey's  Salon— The  Old  Reform 
Party — Sir  George  Grey  and  Edward  Ellice — Marriage  and 
Visits  in  the  North— Henry  and  Charles  Greville— Sir  John 
Pakington  and  the  Duke  of  Somerset — Visits  to  Ireland, 
Howick,  and  Wentworth— Anecdotes  of  Lord  Fitzwilliam  and 
the  Silent  Cavendishes — Installed  at  Kensington  Palace — Dis- 
raeli's Reform  Bill — Return  of  Lord  Palmerston — His  Love  of  a 
Joke — Marochetti — The  Volunteer  Mania. 

In"  March,  1858,  I  became  engaged  to  Miss  Mary  Bar- 
rington, the  only  daughter  of  the  Honorable  George  and 
Lady  Caroline  Barrington.  She  had  been  brought  up 
and  educated  in  the  strictest  sect  of  the  Whig  oligarchy. 
She  was  born  in  10  Downing  Street,  where  Lord  Grey 
was  living  then  as  Prime  Minister ;  her  father  was  a 
Lord  of  the  Admiralty,  her  mother  a  daughter  of  Lord 
Grey's.  When  four  years  old  she  well  remembered  being 
christened  at  Howick  by  the  famous  Sydney  Smith. 
Her  father  died  when  she  was  yet  a  child,  and  her  home 
was  with  Lord  Grey,  her  grandfather,  until  Lady  Caro- 
line's appointment  as  Woman  of  the  Bedchamber  took 
her  away  to  Windsor,  Osborne,  or  London.  But  in  those 
earlier  days  she  was  the  favorite  and  constant  companion 
of  the  aged  statesman,  many  of  whose  letters  lie  before 
me  now,  and  one  of  which  I  am  tempted  to  copy : 

159 


RECOLLECTIONS  1858- 

"HowiCK,  Octobers,  1838. 

"My  dearest  Mary, — Your  very  nice  letter,  which  I  received  tliis 
morning,  gave  mc  the  greatest  pleasure.  You  are  a  dear,  good  girl, 
and  1  love  you  from  tiie  very  bottom  of  my  heart.  I  regret,  there- 
fore, more  and  more  not  seeing  you  every  day  at  breakfast  and  at 
dinner.  But  I  must  look  forward  with  the  hope  of  again  enjoying 
that  happiness  next  summer.  But  you  will  then,  1  think,  be  too  old 
to  be  pilot,  or  ranger,  or  anything  but  yourself ;  and  you  cannot  be 
anything  better  if  you  go  on,  as  at  present,  being  kind  and  good- 
natured  to  everybody,  and  a  comfort  to  your  dear  mamma.  .  .  . 

"  Write  to  me  again  and  tell  me  how  you  like  Windsor  ;  whether 
you  have  seen  the  Queen,  and  what  she  said  to  you.  And  now 
good-bye,  my  dearest  child.  Give  a  good  kiss  to  your  mamma  for 
me,  and  believe  me  ever 

"  Your  most  affectionate  grandfather, 

"Grey." 

She  had  a  bad  attack  of  whooping-cough  when  living 
with  Lady  Grey  in  Berkeley  Square  ;  during  her  con- 
valescence she  was  painted  by  Sir  William  Ross  in  a 
miniature,  which  was  shown  in  the  Grafton  Gallery  Ex- 
hibition of  Children  in  1895,  a  year  after  her  death. 

Lord  Grey  would  frequently  go  and  talk  to  her  on  his 
way  to  the  House  of  Lords,  in  full  dress,  with  his  Garter 
and  ribbon  ;  for  in  the  early  days  of  the  Queen's  reign 
peers  drove  down  to  the  House  of  Lords  in  full  dress, 
with  their  orders  and  ribbons,  and  bishops  in  episcopal 
wigs.  Tlie  late  Lord  Strafford  recollects  his  famous 
uncle,  George  Byng,  M.P.  for  Middlesex,  going  down  to 
the  House  of  Commons  dressed  in  tights  and  black  silk 
stockings  ;  and  Disraeli  tells  how  on  one  occasion  Lord 
George  Bentinck  attended  in  boots  and  breeches,  his  red 
coat  only  partially  concealed  under  a  surtout.  Hessian 
boots  were  common ;  and  sportsmen  went  out  shooting 
in  frock-coats  and  tall  hats. 

When  Lady  Caroline  was  in  waiting  at  Windsor  or  Os- 
borne, my   wife  had    lived  in  St.   James's  Palace  with 

160 


1861  MEMORIES    OF    FOX 

General  Grey,  her  uncle,  whom  she  loved,  and  with 
whom  she  read,  rode,  and  corresponded  continually 
when  he  was  absent.  He  had  succeeded  Sir  Charles 
Phipps  as  the  Queen's  secretary,  and  won  golden  opin- 
ions from  everybody  with  whom  he  was  brought  into 
contact. 

When  there  had  been  the  usual  troubles  surrounding 
our  impecunious  marriage,  he  had  manfully  espoused  our 
cause  and  ridiculed  the  idea  of  delay.  He  was  godfather 
to  my  eldest  boy,  and  was  a  true  and  loyal  friend  to  us 
till  the  sad  day  of  his  death. 

During  our  engagement,  and  very  often  after  we  were 
married,  we  stayed  with  Mrs.  Ponsonby  at  a  lovely  place 
near  Midhurst  and  Cowdry  Park,  called  Woolbeding. 
The  house  was  originally  built  about  the  middle  of  the 
sixteenth  century,  and  though  many  alterations  had  de- 
prived it  of  any  architectural  beauty,  its  situation  in  a 
secluded  valley,  in  a  garden  immensely  improved  by  Lord 
Lanerton,  who  had  married  Mrs.  Ponsonby's  daughter, 
more  than  compensated  for  any  architectural  defects.  In 
this  garden  was  the  largest  tulip-tree  in  England,  a  love- 
ly little  Saxon  church,  and  a  fountain  which  originally 
came  from  the  court  at  old  Cowdry  House,  and  was  de- 
signed by  Benvenuto  Cellini  or  John  of  Bologna.  But 
all  these  charms  faded  into  dimness  in  comparison  with 
its  historical  attractions.  Charles  Fox,  who  represented 
Midhurst,  spent  many  careless  holidays  with  his  great 
friend.  Lord  Robert  Spencer,  and  the  place  is  full  of  rec- 
ollections of  his  presence— sketches  of  him  in  every  atti- 
tude by  Lady  Diana  Beauclerk  are  in  portfolios,  and  in 
the  little  church  Lord  Robert  lies,  with  this  epitaph : 
"  He  lived  the  friend  of  Fox."  It  is  rare  for  one  man  to 
have  inspired  two  epitaphs  in  which  his  friendship  is 
considered  the  highest  honor.  The  other  is  well  known 
on  Lord  Holland's  statue  : 
L  161 


RECOLLECTIONS  1858- 

"  Nephew  of  Fox  and  friend  of  Grey, 
Be  this  my  meed  of  fame — 
That  those  who  know  me  best  may  say 
He  tarnished  neither  name." 

During  the  time  of  our  engagement,  from  Marcli  to 
August,  1858,  T  used  generally  to  dine  with  Lady  Caro- 
line Harrington  at  Buckingham  Palace,  and  very  often 
after  dinner  we  used  to  go  to  the  house  of  her  mother. 
Lady  Grey,  in  Eaton  Square. 

The  world  still  knows  her  from  the  beautiful  engrav- 
ings of  Sir  Thomas  Lawrence's  pictures,  but  to  be  ad- 
mitted to  her  salon  was  an  entrance  to  a  past  history  and 
a  past  society,  with  different  social  manners  and  different 
ways  from  those  of  to-day.  She  herself,  though  nearly 
eighty  years  of  age,  had  preserved  her  beauty  and  her 
charm,  a  perfect  type  of  a  grande  dame,  as  I  see  her 
still  with  soft  laces  and  gray  gloves,  a  kind  smile,  and 
eyes  which  had  exercised  such  a  fascination,  still  brill- 
iant and  bewitching.  She  had  been  the  happy  mother 
of  thirteen  children,  one  of  whom.  Lady  Georgiana,  is 
still  alive  (1898).  Here  I  used  often  to  meet  the  remains 
of  the  old  Reform  party.  Sir  George  Grey,  a  man 
hardly  remembered  in  this  generation,  was  one  of  the 
few  who  had  increased  his  reputation  by  long  service  at 
the  Home  Office  ;  quick,  gentle,  persuasive,  and  strong, 
he  was  beloved  by  friends  and  foes  alike.  Lord  Gran- 
ville told  me  in  later  years,  that,  looking  back  to  his  po- 
litical career  in  various  Cabinets,  he  came  to  the  con- 
clusion that  Sir  George  Grey  had  more  influence  with 
his  colleagues  than  any  man  he  had  ever  known.  Sir 
Charles  and  Lady  Mary  Wood,  Lord  Grey's  youngest 
daughter,  and  old  Edward  Ellice — who  married  her  sis- 
ter, and  subsequently  a  daughter  of  Lord  Albemarle's — 
were  constantly  at  Eaton  Square.  Ellice  was  always 
called  the  ''  Old  Bear,"  as  his  friends  said,  because  he 

162 


1861  LADY    GREY 

was  the  chairman  of  the  great  Fur  Trade  Company  at 
Hudson's  Bay  ;  he  was  an  advanced  Whig,  had  been 
Lord  Grey's  secretary  at  the  Treasury,  and  subsequently 
in  the  Cabinet  as  Secretary  of  War ;  a  man  saturated 
with  politics  and  the  management  of  men.  Sir  Henry 
Taylor  described  him  as  shrewd,  kind,  copious  of  speech, 
with  a  genuine  honlwmie  and  a  rough  courtesy. 

Lady  Grey,  the  widow  of  a  distinguished  soldier,  Sir 
Henry  Grey,  who  lived  to  a  great  age,  gave  dinners  at 
her  house  in  Seamore  Place.  She  one  day  wrote  to  Gen- 
eral Fox,  saying  :  "■  Will  you  dine  with  me  on  Monday 
D.V.?"  He  wrote  back:  "Dear  Lady  Grey,— D.  evi- 
dently doesn't  Y.,  for  I  have  a  bad  cold." 

General  Fox  was  a  great  numismatist,  and  one  day, 
after  examining  a  case  of  coins  at  the  British  Museum, 
he  was  stopped  at  the  door  and  told  that  one  of  the 
rarest  was  missing,  and  he  must  not  leave  without 
being  searched.  This  he  refused  ;  and  after  a  time  the 
coin  was  found,  having  slipped  between  the  case  and  its 
velvet  lining.  He  then  said  to  the  custodian,  "I  will 
now  show  you  why  I  refused  to  be  searched,"  and  pro- 
duced from  his  pocket  a  coin  identical  Avith  the  one  that 
had  been  missed,  which  he  had  come  to  compare  with 
the  only  other  known  to  exist  in  the  world. 

On  August  12,  1858,  we  were  married  at  St.  James's 
Church,  Piccadilly,  and  spent  our  honeymoon  at  Ayot, 
a  nice  place  of  Colonel  and  Lady  Emily  Cavendish's  in 
Herts,  near  Brocket.  After  a  short  time  we  went  to 
Howick,  where  my  wife  initiated  me  into  the  mysteries 
of  fly-fishing.  It  had  been  the  home  of  her  childhood, 
and  she  always  cherished  for  it  to  the  last  fond  memories. 
Thence  we  went  to  Hickleton  (Sir  Charles  Wood's)  and 
Greystoke  (Harry  Howard's),  and  on  to  Coupland,  a 
charming  shooting-box  Lord  Durham  had  rented  from 
Mr.  CuUey,  in  Northumberland,  where  we  spent  many 

163 


RECOLLECTIONS  1858- 

snbsequent  holidays.  AYc  thcu  spent  three  weeks  at  Os- 
borne, where  the  Queen  had  kindly  lent  us  a  cottage. 
From  here  we  paid  a  visit  to  Ford,  a  beautiful  castle  on 
the  Till,  which  had  been  adorned  by  all  the  art  of  Lady 
Waterford. 

In  our  early  married  days  we  were  much  at  Lady  Syd- 
ney's at  her  house  in  Cleveland  Row,  where,  as  Lord 
Sydney  often  told  me,  pointing  to  pictures  of  Lord 
Townshend  and  Sir  Eobert  "Walpole,  a  famous  passage 
of  arms  took  place  between  them  in  1730,  when  the 
house  belonged  to  Colonel  Selwyn.  Townshend  pre- 
suming to  differ  with  Walpole,  the  latter  grew  so  in- 
censed as  to  declare  that  he  did  not  believe  what  Town- 
shend was  saying.  Townsliend,  losing  all  patience, 
raised  his  hand,  and  these  old  friends,  near  relations 
and  brother  ministers,  seized  each  other  by  the  collar 
and  grasped  their  swords.  Mrs.  Selwyn  shrieked  for  as- 
sistance ;  the  men  interposed  and  dissuaded  them  from 
going  out,  as  they  wished,  to  fight  an  immediate  duel.' 

At  Frognal,  Lord  Sydney's  place  in  Kent,  we  often 
met  Mr.  Charles  Greville,  and  still  oftener  his  brother 
Henry.  They  were  very  different  men  :  the  latter  kind- 
ly, musical,  deeply  interested  in  social  and  domestic  de- 
tails ;  while  Charles,  whenever  I  met  him,  which  was  in 
his  old  age,  was  grumpy  and  querulous  from  gout.  We 
nsed  to  tremble  when  it  was  either  of  our  lots  to  play 
whist  with  him,  and  then  Lady  Sydney  would  say,  "Dear 
old  Cruncher,  he  is  going  to  have  a  fit  of  the  gout";  but 
he  Avas  high  bred,  high  born,  and  had  achieved  for  him- 
self an  unique  position  from  his  connection  with  the 
Tivies  and  society.  He  was  the  arbiter  in  all  social 
questions,  and  it  is  impossible  to  read  his  diaries  with- 
out seeing  that  he  was  in  the  confidence  of  everybody  ; 

'  Lord  Mabon's  History  of  Enghmd,  vol.  ii.  p.  137. 

164 


1861  THE    GREVILLES 

whether  those  confidences  should  have  been  given  to 
the  world  is  another  question.  There  were  those  who 
sneered  at  his  rather  high-flown  aspirations  on  paper. 
The  late  Lord  de  Mauley  said  that  Greville  would  go 
and  talk  to  his  father  about  the  immoralities  and  vanity 
of  betting  and  the  turf,  but  on  the  way  out,  if  he  could 
get  a  turn  of  the  odds  from  the  son,  he  would  never 
miss  his  opportunity.  Lord  Winchilsea  and  Lord  Ross- 
lyn  both  rushed  into  verse  in  describing  his  character 
and  his  foibles.     The  former  wrote : 

"For  fifty  years  he  listened  at  the_door, 
He  heard  some  secrets  and  invented  more. 
These  he  wrote  down,  and  women,  statesmen,  kings 
Became  degraded  into  common  things. 
They  hide  the  smart,  and  say  'tis  only  Greville, 
But  wish  him  and  his  Journal  at  the  Devil." 

Lord  Rosslyn's  lines  ran  as  follows  : 

"Greville's  freaks  invite  my  song, 
GrevUle  ever  in  the  wrong. 
Ever  plodding — ever  peddling. 
Master  of  all  sorts  of  meddling; 
Has  a  lady  made  a  slip 
In  morality  or  scrip  ; 
Has  a  difference  to  be  paid  up, 
Or  a  quarrel  to  be  made  up  ; 
Does  a  husband,  wicked  wight. 
Stay  out  sundry  times  at  night  ; 
Is  a  case  to  be  decided 
As  Law  never  yet  provided; 
Does  a  fashion  come  in  vogue 
'Twixt  Lord  Noodle  and  Dick  Rogue  ; 
Is  the  coalition  tumbling ; 
Are  the  daily  papers  grumbling ; 
Is  a  hint  to  be  conveyed 
Without  bustle  or  parade 
To  the  Times,  tlie  Czar,  or  Devil  ? — 
Ring  the  bell  and  send  for  Greville." 
165 


RECOLLECTIOXS  1858- 

Greville  was  Clerk  to  the  Council,  and  held  a  sinecure 
office  in  the  West  Indies  ;  and  when  Lord  Clarendon  be- 
came a  Privy  Councillor,  he  called  with  a  check  to  pay 
the  fees  that  he  thought  were  due.  "  What  a  good  fol- 
low you  are  !"  said  Charles  Greville.  *' You  have  no  idea 
of  the  trouble  I  have  to  get  them  from  some  people; 
you  know  I  have  no  legal  right  of  recovery."  ''Haven't 
you  ?"  said  Lord  Clarendon,  and  threw  his  check  into 
the  fire.  After  this  I  doubt  whether  any  fees  were  paid 
by  Privy  Councillors  on  being  sworn  of  that  distin- 
guished body. 

To  me  Charles  Greville  was  always  snnbby,  as  was  the 
custom  of  old  to  young  in  those  days.  For  example, 
Poodle  Byng,  if  he  met  any  one  in  a  shooting  coat,  would 
ask  whether  he  was  having  good  sport  among  the  spar- 
rows in  St.  James's  Street ;  or  if  he  was  found  smoking 
he  would  be  asked  whether  he  wished  to  be  taken  for  an 
omnibus  conductor. 

These  cases  may  have  been  exceptional ;  but  I  cherish 
a  hope  that  as  the  ways  and  manners  of  young  men  to 
old  have  in  my  time  so  greatly  improved,  so  old  men  are 
not  as  brusque  and  sarcastic  towards  the  young  as  they 
were,  but  are  anxious  to  requite  the  kindness  and  con- 
sideration shown  to  them,  for  which  they  are  grateful. 

It  was  at  Frognal  that  we  also  made  friends  with  Gen- 
eral Tom  Ashburnham,  as  he  was  called  by  his  intimates 
— a  .genial  and  charming  companion,  and  an  aristocrat 
au  bout  des  ongles.  Walking  with  me  down  Grosvenor 
Place,  where  at  the  cross-roads  had  recently  been  erected 
a  fountain,  "  Ah,"  he  said,  "  a  dear  old  friend  of  mine 
lies  there  ;  we  were  at  school  together ;  and  after  he  had 
murdered  his  father  and  cut  his  own  throat,  he  was 
buried  at  midnight  at  these  cross-roads."  It  is  strange 
to  think  that  my  mother  recollected  going  to  a  country- 
house  where   St.   Peter's   Church,   Eaton   Square,  now 

166 


1861  THE    DUKE    OF    SOMERSET 

stands,  and  crossing  a  rustic  bridge  over  a  stream  into 
the  fields  where  the  cows  were  being  milked  and  sylla- 
bub was  being  made. 

In  Lord  Derby's  short  government  of  1858  Sir  John 
Pakington  had  become  First  Lord  of  the  Admiralty,  and 
somewhat  rudely,  as  Admiral  Eden  said,  relegated  me 
to  the  servants'  hall  from  the  "  room  "—that  is  to  say, 
from  the  private  office  to  the  ordinary  clerical  duties 
of  the  department ;  but  soon  afterwards  I  was  rein- 
stated by  the  Duke  of  Somerset,  who  came  to  the 
Admiralty  as  First  Lord  in  Lord  Palmerston's  govern- 
ment. 

The  duke  had  a  great  reputation  as  a  man  of  business; 
a  dry,  cold  man,  whom  everybody  respected  and  every- 
body feared.  In  the  antnmn  of  1859  his  Naval  Secretary, 
Captain  John  Moore,  was  ill,  and  I  took  his  place  with  the 
duke  on  his  tour  of  inspection,  and  a  dreary  tour  it  was 
— the  stiff  official  dinners,  at  which  nobody  raised  his 
voice  above  a  whisper,  were  profoundly  melancholy.  The 
duke  was  devoured  by  a  certain  proud  shyness,  but  when 
I  was  alone  with  him,  he  was  dryly  amusing,  kind,  and 
genial.  We  paid  a  visit  together  to  Lord  Carlisle,  then 
Lord  Lieutenant  of  Ireland,  at  the  Viceregal  Lodge  in 
Phoenix  Park.  We  were,  I  think,  the  first  to  cross  over  to 
Kingstown  in  one  of  the  then  new  fleet  of  steamers,  which, 
much  to  the  annoyance  of  the  duke,  were  placed  at  his 
disposal.  Lord  Carlisle  was  most  hospitable  and  kind, 
and  fully  occupied  with  the  play  of  the  Zingari  Club,  who 
were  then  there — his  gardens  even  being  laid  out  in  their 
colors.  The  duke  from  here  went  on  to  Cork,  but  kindly 
insisted  on  my  going  with  Clarence  Paget  and  Sam  Whit- 
bread,  who  was  the  Civil  Lord  of  the  Admiralty,  to  see 
Killarney  en  route.  This  we  did,  rejoining  the  duke  at 
Cork,  whence  we  steamed  to  Milford  Haven,  where  the 
Channel  Fleet  was  drawn  up  for  inspection  by  the  duke, 

167 


U  E  C  (.)  L  1.  E  C  T  1 0  .N  .S  1858- 

iii  two  lines,  through  which  we  passed  in  the  Admiralty 
yacht. 

Here  Captain  Moore  relieved  me,  and  I  joined  my  wife 
in  a  holiday  trip  to  our  old  haunts  in  the  north.  At 
Lord  Grey's,  at  Ilowick,  we  heard  the  following  story : 

In  1811  his  father  was  residing,  for  his  wife's  health,  at 
Devonport.  One  morning  a  gentleman  calling  on  him 
said  he  had  a  dream  the  previous  night  in  which  he  had 
seen  the  Lord  Chancellor,  whose  dress  he  described,  lying 
on  the  floor  of  the  lobby  of  the  House,  surrounded  by 
a  crowd  of  Members  of  Parliament.  The  next  day  the 
news  arrived  of  Percival's  assassination  by  Bellingham  in 
the  lobby  of  the  House  ;  Percival,  it  should  be  added,  was 
Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer,  and  not  Lord  Chancellor. 

Lord  Grey  was  always  kind  to  us ;  he  had  the  reputa- 
tion of  being  a  mauvais  couchenr  in  official  life,  but  Sir 
Charles  AVood  always  told  me  that  he  was  one  of  the 
pleasantest  colleagues  he  had  ever  had.  When  Mr.  Glad- 
stone succeeded  him  (then  Lord  Howick)  at  the  Colonial 
Office,  he  asked  Sir  Henry  Taylor,  whom  he  called  the 
''glory  and  the  shame"  of  that  department,  whether 
Lord  Howick  did  not  always  take  a  great  grasj)  of  his 
subject. 

"No,"  said  Sir  Henry,  "  he  always  took  a  great  niji  of 
it " — but  in  his  biography  I  am  glad  to  see  that  he  speaks 
of  him  as  "having  more  generosity  of  temper  than  I 
have  met  with  before  in  any  public  man  with  whom  I 
have  been  in  the  habit  of  transacting  public  business." 

After  Howick  we  went  to  Hickleton,  and  from  there 
we  paid  a  visit  to  Lord  and  Lady  Fitzwilliam  at  AVent- 
worth,  a  s^jlendid  old-fashioned  house,  said  to  be  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  long.  There  was  a  Mr.  Bland,  of  Kippax  Park, 
who  was  determined  not  to  be  outdone,  in  the  length,  at 
any  rate,  of  his  house,  so  he  brought  the  whole  of  his 
available  resources  to  the  front,  offices  and  everything, 

168 


1861  THE    FITZ  WILLIAMS 

and  satisfied  his  curious  ambition  by  making  liis  house 
longer  than  Wentworth. 

Lord  and  Lady  Fitzwilliam  were  fine  types  of  the  old- 
fashioned  country  families.  The  outward  magnificence 
of  the  house  and  place  was  balanced  by  rigid  simplicity 
in  doors. 

Lady  Fitzwilliam  told  her  husband  he  ought  not  to  be 
so  entirely  in  his  servants'  hands,  and  should  sometimes 
visit  his  ofl&ces,  which  the  next  day  he  did,  and  finding 
a  boy  as  the  solitary  occupant  of  the  lower  regions, 
he  asked  him  who  he  was.  "Why,"  said  he,  "J  am  the 
boy  who  does  all  the  work  in  this  'ere  'ouse,  and  who 
the  devil  are  you  ?"  Lord  Fitzwilliam  told  his  wife  that 
he  had  done  as  she  asked  him,  but  he  could  hardly  say 
it  was  a  success.  On  another  occasion,  before  going  to 
bed.  Lord  Fitzwilliam  rang  the  bell  two  or  three  times 
without  any  result ;  at  last  a  servant  came,  and  he  asked 
for  a  glass  of  water,  which  was  not  brought  to  him,  so  in 
a  resigned  way  he  said,  "1  suppose  I  must  go  without 
that  glass  of  water." 

They  were  a  very  silent  family — almost  as  silent  as  the 
fifth  Duke  of  Devonshire  and  his  brother.  Lord  George 
Cavendish,  who,  when  travelling  down  to  Yorkshire, 
were  shown  into  a  three-bedded  room.  The  curtains  of 
one  of  the  four-posters  were  drawn.  Each  brother  in 
turn  looked  in  and  went  to  bed.  Towards  the  close  of 
the  next  day's  posting,  one  brother  said  to  the  other: 
" Did  you  see  what  was  in  that  bed  last  night  ?"  ''Yes, 
brother,"  was  the  only  reply — they  had  both  se'en  a 
corpse. 

At  an  opening  of  Parliament  Lord  Fitzwilliam  was 
going  to  move  the  Address  in  the  House  of  Lords.  Lord 
Granville,  who  was  the  leader,  asked  him,  as  was  usual, 
if  he  would  come  to  luncheon  and  go  over  the  Queen's 
Speech,  to  give  him,  if  he  could,  any  hints.    "  No,  thank 

169 


RECOLLECTIONS  1858- 

yoii/'  said  Lord  Fitzwilliam,  ''I  would  rather  trust  to 
the  inspiration  of  the  moment."  The  moment  came,  but 
not  the  inspiration,  and  so  he  contented  himself  with 
reading  the  Address  and  no  more.  After  this  a  wit 
called  him  ''the  mute,  inglorious  Milton." 

Of  the  dinners  on  public  days,  at  Wentworth,  so  much 
has  been  said  and  written  that  I  need  add  no  more ;  but 
it  is  a  curious  instance  of  the  expenditure  of  the  house 
that  when  Lord  Bessborough  undertook  the  agency  of 
the  Fitzwilliam  estate,  he  found  that  for  every  gig  or 
dog-cart  that  left  the  stable-yard,  ■is.  was  paid  to  the 
stud-groom  or  coachman.  This  was,  of  course,  the  sur- 
vival of  the  old  i^ractice  of  giving  the  post-boys  Is.  each 
to  bait  the  four  horses  that  were  sent  out  to  bring  in 
visitors  for  the  last  stage. 

Lady  Charlotte  Fitzwilliam  told  my  sister  that  her 
father,  as  a  little  boy,  was  riding  with  her  grandfather, 
and  passed  a  tenant  who  touched  his  hat.  Some  time 
after  Lord  Fitzwilliam  said  :  "  Did  you  raise  your  hat  to 
that  farmer  as  you  passed  ?"  " No,"  said  the  boy.  "Then 
ride  back  and  beg  his  pardon." 

Charles  Gore  used  to  tell  as  a  young  man  an  interest- 
ing incident  which  took  place  in  the  house  of  the  Duke 
of  Sussex,  at  the  corner  of  Edgware  Road  and  Oxford 
Street,  which  since  then  has  been  divided  into  two — 
Surrey  House,  which  Lord  Battersea  has  so  beautifully 
decorated,  being  the  larger  part,  facing  Oxford  Street, 
the  other  portion  facing  Edgware  Road,  over  the  door  of 
which  still  hangs  a  royal  coronet. 

He  was  dining  there  when,  after  dinner,  his  aunt.  Lady 
Cecilia  Buggin,  came  into  the  drawing-room,  and  short- 
ly afterwards  they  all  returned  to  the  dining-room,  where 
she  and  the  Duke  of  Sussex  were  married. 

Shortly  after  our  return  from  the  north  we  were 
staying  at  Footscray,  with  the  George  Glyns,  who  were 

170 


1861  AT    KENSINGTON    PALACE 

great  frieuds  of  ours  both  before   and  after   our  mar- 


riage. 


One  night  there  was  a  dinner  of  neighbors,  and  the  old 
clergyman  of  the  place  took  my  wife  in  to  dinner.  The 
next  day  his  daughter  called  on  Mrs.  Glyn  to  say  that 
her  father  was  shocked  to  find  that  Mrs.  West  was  a 
bride  ;  had  he  known  it  he  would  have  behaved  "  quite 
differently  !"     We  always  Avondered  how. 

When  our  holidays  came  to  an  end  we  took  up  our 
abode  at  Kensington  Palace,  where  Lady  Caroline  Bar- 
rington  had  apartments,  of  which  the  Queen  had  given 
the  reversion  to  my  wife  as  a  wedding  present.  Our 
neighbors  were  Lady  Augusta  Gordon,  a  daughter  of  Will- 
iam IV.,  and  the  beautiful  Mrs.  Jordan,  and  the  Duch- 
ess of  Inverness,  the  widow  of  the  Duke  of  Sussex ;  it 
was  said  that  her  patent  of  nobility  was  so  made  out  that 
had  she  been  blessed  with  a  son,  on  his  succession  he 
would  have  been  the  Duchess  of  Inverness.  It  might  al- 
most be  said  that  she  made  her  apartments  into  a  hospi- 
table house-of-call  for  all  foreigners,  who  always  treated 
her  as  royalty.  Her  French  accent  was  not  Parisian,  and 
she  would  say  :  "1  have  been  to  'Bv'iglitoii  jjour  un  coiqjle 
de  jours."  We  were  her  constant  guests.  On  one  occa- 
sion Lord  John  Eussell  took  her  in  to  dinner,  and  after 
he  had  sat  down  for  a  minute,  he  jumped  up  and  went 
to  the  opposite  side  of  the  table,  and  sat  by  the  Duchess 
of  St.  Albans.  Lady  John  asked  him  afterwards  why  he 
had  done  it;  he  said  :  ''I  should  have  been  ill  if  I  had 
sat  with  my  back  to  that  great  fire."  "1  hope,"  said 
Lady  John,  "  you  gave  your  reason  to  the  Duchess  of 
Inverness."  ''No,"  he  said,  "I  didn't;  but  I  told  the 
Duchess  of  St.  Albans  !" 

This  year  (1859)  began  sadly  with  the  news  of  poor 
Mrs.  Anson's  death  from  poison,  taken  accidentally. 

1  heard  all  the  terrible  particulars  of  the  tragedy  from 

171 


RECOLL?:CTIONS  185R- 

my  friend  Henry  Sotheby,  who  told  me  that  he  was  doz- 
ing over  the  fire  before  dinner  at  a  house  in  Northamp- 
tonshire, when  the  door  opened  ;  Mrs.  Anson  came  into 
the  room  where  he  was  sitting,  in  her  dressing-gown, 
with  her  beantiful  hair  hanging  over  her  shouklers,  and 
tokl  him  what  liad  happened.  He  had  the  presence  of 
mind  in  these  horrible  circumstances  to  do  the  right 
thing  by  going  into  the  dining-room  and  giving  her  mus- 
tard and  water  to  drink  ;  but  tlie  drowsiness  could  not 
be  overcome,  and  notwithstanding  all  their  efforts  she 
died  that  night. 

On  November  0,  1859,  our  dear  boy  Horace  was  born, 
and  was  christened,  in  the  chapel  at  Kensington,  Horace 
Charles  George,  General  Grey  and  T.  G.  Baring  being 
his  godfathers,  and  Lady  Durham  and  Lady  Emily  Caven- 
dish his  godmothers. 

In  December,  Colonel  Walpole,  my  uncle,  who  was 
wounded  at  Quatre-Bras,  died,  and  was  buried  in  Kensal 
Green.  He  had  been  a  brilliant  young  man  in  the 
Guards;  had  run  through  his  fortune,  and,  as  was  often 
done  in  those  days,  had  been  appointed  Minister  to  Chili, 
from  which  post  he  had  retired,  and  had  come  back 
thoroughly  worn  out  to  end  his  days  in  London. 

My  mother  was  always  trying  to  devise  some  means  to 
amuse  him,  and  one  day  she  thought  he  would  like  to 
drive  down  to  the  old  house  where  they  had  lived  as 
children  at  the  West  End.  He  constantly  yawned. 
"  Tired,  John  ?"  she  said.  ''  Tired  ?  no— bored,"  he  re- 
plied, which  was  hardly  kind. 

All  the  year  of  1859  our  hearts  were  full  of  hope  that 
Italy  was  about  to  be  rescued  from  the  hateful  rule  of 
Austria,  and  that  Cavour's  dream  was  about  to  be  real- 
ized ;  but  at  home  Disraeli  was  proposing  a  Eeform  Bill, 
full  of  all  kinds  of  fancy  franchises,  which  are  now  for- 
gotten.    Mr.  Walpole  and  Mr.  Henley  would  have  none 

173 


1861         MR.    GLADSTONE'S    BUDGET 

of  the  Bill,  and  resigned.  Mr.  Walpole  had  not  that 
plastic  mind  which  is  now  so  common  among  politicians ; 
he  frankly  stated  that  had  such  a  Bill  been  proposed  by 
Lord  Palmerston  or  Lord  John  Russell,  it  would  have 
been  resisted  by  the  whole  Tory  party.  Mr.  Disraeli's 
time  had  not  come,  and  his  proposals  were  defeated  by  a 
majority  of  thirty-nine.  A  dissolution  followed.  The 
different  sections  of  the  Liberal  party  were  united  and 
the  result  was  pretty  clear.  Lord  Hartington,  being  the 
son  of  the  Duke  of  Devonshire,  was  put  up  to  move  a 
vote  of  want  of  confidence,  which  was  carried  in  the 
new  Parliament  by  a  majority  of  thirteen. 

Lord  Derby  resigned  and  Lord  Granville  was  invited 
to  form  a  Ministry ;  Lord  John  Russell  declined  to 
serve  under  him,  and  Lord  Palmerston  was  charged  with 
the  task,  and  immediately  formed  a  strong  govern- 
ment, offering  office  to  Cobden,  who  declined  to  ac- 
cept it. 

In  1860  Mr.  Gladstone  introduced  his  great  Budget, 
reducing  the  Customs  tariff,  ratifying  the  French  treaty, 
and  repealing  the  paper  duties.  Lord  Lyndhurst,  now 
in  his  eighty-ninth  year,  made  the  Lords  throw  it  out 
with  a  majority  of  eigl:uky-nine.  There  was  a  counter- 
proposal that  the  tea  duties  should  be  repealed. 

While  the  debate  was  proceeding  in  the  House  of  Com- 
mons, Lord  Derby  wrote  a  note  to  Lord  Palmerston, 
saying,  *'Is  it  to  be  tea  and  turn  out  ?"  Lord  Palmer- 
ston wrote  back:  ''No;  paper  and  stationary."  The 
Lords'  action  only  delayed  the  repeal  for  a  year. 

Lord  Palmerston  was  always  fond  of  a  joke.  Thus 
when  a  deputation  waited  on  him  urging  him  to  provide 
a  proper  gallery  for  the  pictures  of  the  Chantrey  be- 
quest, and  the  principal  speaker  said  that  at  present  they 
were  hidden  away  in  a  cellar  :  "  Ah,"  said  Lord  Palmer- 
ston, ''I  will  do  what  I  can,  but  you  must  recollect  the 

173 


RECOLLECTIONS  1858- 

old  saying,  'Ars  est  celare  artem."'  And  the  deputa- 
tion left  him,  I  believe,  in  high  good  humor. 

In  18G0  tlio  Queen  paid  a  visit  to  my  wife  at  Kensing- 
ton to  see  her  and  our  boy  Horace,  who  paid  her  Majesty 
a  return  visit  shortly  afterwards  at  Windsor,  and  in  the 
following  year  her  Majesty  had  a  beautiful  miniature 
painted  of  him  by  Miss  Dickinson,  which  she  gave  to  my 
wife. 

In  June  of  that  year  there  was  a  great  review  of  Vol- 
unteers in  Hyde  Park  by  the  Queen,  who  remarked  as 
they  passed  what  a  stuffy  smell  there  was.  "  Esprit  de 
corps,  ma'am,"  replied  Lord  Palmerston,  who  was  stand- 
ing by  her.  Poodle  Byng,  who  was  a  great  personage  in 
London  society,  marched  past  as  a  private  Volunteer 
at  a  great  age ;  indeed,  all  the  town  was  A^olunteer  mad. 

In  the  autumn  we  were  paying  a  visit  to  Mr.  Charles 
Grenfell  in  the  new  house  he  had  built  at  Taplow,  and 
met  Charles  Kingsley.  Though  he  stammered,  oddly 
enough  he  was  fluent  in  the  pulpit.  We  went  out  with 
the  Queen's  buckhounds,  and  he  apostrophized  every- 
thing and  everybody,  and  each  five-barred  gate  he  came 
to  he  expressed  a  burning  desire  to  jump,  but  he  never 
gratified  his  wish. 

Marochetti,  whom  I  often  met  at  John  Leslie's  house 
at  dinner,  was  a  Piedmontese  who  married  a  French  lady, 
heiress  to  the  Chateau  de  Vaux,  near  Paris.  As  a  young 
man  he  was  devoted  to  modelling,  and  made  a  very  fine 
statue,  which  is  now  in  Turin,  of  Prince  Eugene  of  Savoy 
sheathing  his  sword.  Thiers,  who  was  then  Prime  Minis- 
ter, was  so  struck  with  his  talent  that  he  helped  him  on 
greatly  with  government  commissions.  Then  came  the 
Revolution  of  1848,  and  Marochetti  decided  to  live  in 
London,  where  he  made  hosts  of  friends,  and  at  the 
Great  Exhibition  of  1851  exhibited  his  "  Richard  Coeur 
de  Lion/^  which  was  afterwards  bought  by  the  govern- 

174 


1861      THE    VOLUNTEER    MOVEMENT 

ment.  It  now  stands  in  Palace  Yard,  near  the  entrance 
to  the  House  of  Lords.  In  my  opinion  it  is  the  finest 
statue  we  have  in  London.  His  model  for  the  Duke  of 
Wellington's  tomb  was  good,  but  was  unfortunately  re- 
jected in  favor  of  the  one  which  is  now  in  St.  Paul's. 

In  February,  1861,  I  was,  like  others,  bitten  with  the 
Volunteer  mania,  and  Lord  Elcho,  who  was  one  of  the 
most  spirited  leaders  of  the  movement,  succeeded  in  pea-- 
suading  me  to  become  Captain  Commandant  of  the  Ken- 
sington Volunteers  —  an  endless  source  of  trouble  and 
annoyance  from  beginning  to  end. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

1861-1867 

Appointed  Private  Secretary  to  Sir  Clmrles  Wood  at  the  India 
Office— Wembley  Orchard— Sir  Charles  Wood  as  an  Official- 
Distinguished  Anglo  Indians  :  Sir  John  Lawrence  and  Sir  John 
Montgomery— The  Decline  of  Swearing— Sir  James  Hogg,  and 
Sir  James  Outrani,  the  "  Bayard  of  India  "—Deaths of  the  Prince 
Consort,  Sidney  Herbert,  Sir  James  Graham,  and  Lord  and  Lady 
Canning — The  Story  of  Sir  John  Lawrence's  Appointment— Mar- 
riage of  the  Princess  of  Wales— My  son  Gilbert:  liis  Siiort  but 
Distinguished  Career— Deaths  of  Lord  Lansdowne  and  Thack- 
eray—The Garibaldi  Mania— Visits  to  Latimer  and  Rushmore— 
Move  to  Hill  House,  Stanmore— Disraeli  on  Cobden— Resigna- 
tion of  Lord  Westbury  :  His  Wit  and  Sharp  Sayings— Death  of 
Lord  Palmerston  :  Conspicuous  Absentees  at  his  Funeral  — 
Troubled  Times  in  1866— Sir  Charles  Wood's  Hunting  Accident 
and  Resignation— Regret  at  the  India  Office— Tribute  of  the 
Times— I  am  Appointed  Deputy-Director  of  the  Indian  Military 
Funds  — Relations  with  Mr.  Seccombe,  Sir  Charles  Trevelyan, 
and  Sir  John  Kaye— My  Book  on  Sir  Charles  Wood's  Adminis- 
tration of  India— Charles  Lamb  at  the  India  Office— Mr.  Gos- 
Chen's  Promotion  to  Cabinet  Rank — the  Cave  of  Adullam— De- 
feat of  the  Reform  Bill— Mr.  Lowe  in  Opposition  and  Office- 
Latin  Quotations  in  the  House — Close  of  Lord  John  Russell's 
Career— His  Attitude  to  Peel— Tlie  Hyde  Park  Riots— Fatlier 
Prout— Disraeli's  Ten  Minutes  Bill— The  Derby  of  1867— Visits 
to  Hazelwood  and  Westbrook— Lord  Stratford  de  Redcliffe— 
Visit  of  the  Sultan— The  Clerkenwell  Explosion— Marriage  of  the 
Duke  of  St.  Albans. 

On  June  10,  18G1,  to  our  immense  delight,  I  got  a  let- 
ter from  Sir  Charles  Wood,  then  Secretary  of  State  for 
India,  offering  me  his  private  secretaryship. 

176 


1867  AT    THE    INDIA    OFFICE 

Belgravk  SgcARE,  June  11,  1861. 

"  Dear  A.  West,— I  did  not  know  that  your  brother  would  have 
mentioned  to  you  what  I  intended  to  say  myself.  I  saw  him  in 
order  that  you  might  not  come  to  any  hasty  decision  on  my  offer. 
I  fairly  say  that  I  have  doubts  myself  as  to  the  prudence  of  your 
taking  the  appointment,  as  I  have  no  opportunity  of  doing  anytliiug 
for  you,  and  it  seems  to  me  that  you  may  injure  your  prospects  at 
the  Admiralty. 

"  Your  brother  says  that  you  have  well  considered  this,  and  of 
course  you  are  the  best  judge  of  what  is  best  for  you  to  do. 

"I  must,  of  course,  write  to  the  Duke  of  Somerset  for  his  sanc- 
tion to  your  coming  away  from  the  Admiralty. 

"Yours  truly, 

"C.  Wood." 

Henry  Grenfell,  who  was  leaving  him,  kindly  wrote, 
strongly  dissuading  me  from  accepting  it.  He  argued 
that  Henry  Waterfield,  the  assistant  secretary  —  from 
working  from  morning  to  night,  and  from  knowing, 
through  himself  and  through  his  father,  everything  that 
had  gone  on  for  years  —  could  not  fail  to  have  the 
chief  business ;  hence  I  should  not  have  the  same  op- 
portunity of  making  myself  necessary  to  Sir  Charles 
Wood. 

I  did  not  take  Henry  Grenfell's  advice,  though  I  found 
Henry  Waterfield  all,  and  more  than  all,  that  he  had 
said.  He  was  generously  ready  at  all  times  to  help  and 
teach  me  ;  and  when  illness  overtook  him,  the  whole 
burden  fell  on  my  shoulders.  It  was  lucky  that  I  acted 
as  I  did,  for  this  gave  me  an  opening  which  good  fortune 
and  good  health  widened.  I  was  brought  into  contact 
with  the  extraordinarily  brilliant  staff  of  the  India  Of- 
fice, and  many  of  the  great  rulers  of  India;  and  I  had  the 
opportunity  of  writing  a  history  of  Sir  Ciiarles  Wood's  ad- 
ministration of  India,  which,  though  never  read  by  any  one 
in  England,  was  very  favorably  received  by  the  press,  and 
was,  as  Lord  Northbrook,  when  Governor-General,  told 
M  177 


RECOLLECTIONS  1861- 

me,  adopted  as  tlic  text-book  for  examination  in  some  of 
the  Indian  colleges. 

But  what  for  me  was  greater  than  this  was  that  it  led 
hereafter  to  my  being  cliosen  as  private  secretary  to  Mr. 
Gladstone  in  1868. 

T.  G.  Baring  was  Under-Secretary  at  the  India  Of- 
lice,  and  I  was  glad  again  to  come  into  close  ofhcial 
contact  with  him ;  but  he  was  soon  succeeded  by  Mr. 
James  Stansfeld,  Lord  Wodehouse,  Lord  Dufferin,  and 
Lord  de  Grey,  who  followed  each  other  in  rapid  suc- 
cession. 

Early  in  the  year  1861  we  took  a  little  cottage  near 
Lady  Adelaide  Cadogan's,  and  called  it  "Wembley  Or- 
chard," close  to  Sudbury  Station,  on  the  North-Western 
Railway,  and  here  we  spent  many  very  happy  days  with 
our  children,  and  my  dear  father,  who  took  great  inter- 
est in  it.  My  dear  mother  also  used  to  come  and  see 
us,  and  help  us  to  lay  out  our  little  garden.  Here,  on 
July  18th,  our  second  son,  Reginald  Jervoise,  was  born, 
and  christened  at  Sudbury  Church  on  August  18tli  by 
my  brother  Riclnird.  My  father  and  mother  and  Harry 
Keppel  were  there ;  Lord  Bury  and  Jervoise  Smith 
stood  as  godfathers,  and  Lady  Adelaide  Cadogan  and 
Mrs.  Dawson  Damer  were  his  godmothers. 

My  appointment  as  private  secretary  alforded  me  un- 
mixed pleasure,  giving  me  plenty  of  hard  work,  and 
bringing  me  into  close  relations  with  one  of  the  bright- 
est, sharpest,  and  most  versatile  of  men.  Quick  and 
somewhat  intolerant  as  Sir  Charles  Wood  was  of  lengthy 
narrations  of  purely  personal  interest  often  placed  before 
him,  no  man  ever  bestowed  a  more  willing  or  patient 
hearing  on  those  whose  experience  or  knowledge  entitled 
them  to  attention.  Many  were  those  who,  on  leaving  his 
room,  expressed  their  astonishment  to  me  at  the  perfect 
intimacy  he  displayed  on  matters  supposed  by  them  to 

178 


VT'    ^M-.  pL.S' 


1867  SIR    CHARLES    WOOD 

be  technical,  or  only  to  be  attained  after  a  long  residence 
in  India  and  years  of  application. 

He  gave  me,  as  all  wise  men  do,  or  should  give  to 
their  private  secretaries,  his  entire  confidence,  not  only 
in  matters  relating  to  India,  but  in  all  the  political  and 
court  movements  of  the  day.  Besides  this,  I  was  brought 
into  intimate  communication  with  most  of  the  distin- 
guished Anglo  -  Indians.  The  greatest  of  them  was,  of 
course.  Sir  John  Lawrence,  who,  if  somewhat  rough  and 
brusque  in  manner,  was  always  most  kind  to  me,  and 
would  come  into  my  room  and  talk  to  me  of  all  his  ex- 
periences. 

Another  w'as  Sir  Robert  Montgomery,  the  successful 
Governor  of  the  Punjab,  whose  kind  manner  and  good- 
natured  face  gave  little  indication  of  the  man  of  iron 
nerve,  Avhose  foresight  and  cool  courage  when  first  the 
news-  of  the  capture  of  Delhi  reached  Lahore  had  dis- 
armed an  overwhelming  force  of  native  troops,  and  pre- 
vented the  revolt  getting  any  hold  on  the  Punjab.  It 
was  at  a  ball  at  Lahore,  as  important  in  the  annals  of 
India  as  the  famous  ball  at  Brussels  was  in  the  annals 
of  Europe,  that,  amid  the  dancing  and  the  music,  he  con- 
ceived the  idea  of  disarming  the  Sepoys  and  saving  the 
Punjab. 

Sir  Charles  Mills,  Mr.  John  Abel  Smith,  Mr.  Samuel 
Gurney,  and  ilr.  George  Glyn,  during  the  panic  of  18-41, 
had  waited  on  Sir  Charles  Wood,  then  Chancellor  of  the 
Exchequer,  on  a  matter  in  dispute,  relating,  I  think,  to 
the  stamp  laws.  Sir  Charles  Mills  said  :  "  We  really 
cannot  understand  your  action."  "You  will  under- 
stand it  better  to-morrow  morning,"  said  the  Chancellor 
of  the  Exchequer,  "for  I  have  desired  the  Solicitor  to 
the  Treasury  to  take  proceedings  against  you."  But 
now  all  had  been  forgotten,  and  Sir  Charles  Mills,  who 
was  on  the  Council,  acted  as  intermediary  between  the 

179 


liECOLLECTlONS  1861- 

City  and  tlie  West  End,  luid  was  most  useful  in  keeping 
Sir  Charles  Wood  and  the  Council  on  good  terms.  Sir 
Cliarles's  nature  seemed  to  litive  undergone  a  great  change 
since  his  Cliancellorsliip  of  the  Excliequer  days  ;  then 
he  was  brusque  and  impatient.  At  the  India  Office  he 
was  the  very  personification  of  patience.  He  would 
spend  hours  in  talking  and  listening  to  all  his  council- 
lors on  every  subject  about  which  there  vas  likely  to  be 
a  discussion  at  their  weekly  meeting.  He  was,  however, 
an  odd  mixture  of  sharpness  and  familiarity.  "D — n 
your  eyes,  my  dear  Perry,  can't  you  see  ?"  I  heard  him 
say  quite  good  -  humoredly  one  day,  walking  into  the 
council-chamber. 

But  the  days  of  habitual  swearing  had  passed  away, 
days  when  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  calling  on 
Lord  Melbourne  to  discuss  some  business,  said,  *'  Now, 
my  lord,  it  will  save  time  if  before  we  begin  we  assume 
that  everybody  and  everytliing  is  damned." 

Evelyn  Ashley  once  told  me  that  on  his  father  becom- 
ing Lord  Shaftesbury,  Lady  Caroline  Neeld,  his  sister, 
said  to  him,  quite  seriously,  "Now  that  you  have  come 
into  the  title  you  must  learn  to  swear.  Your  father  al- 
ways did,  and  gained  great  respect  by  it  in  the  county." 

Old  Sir  James  Hogg  was  also  one  of  the  Council  of 
India.  One  day  he  announced  his  intention  of  resigning 
his  directorship  of  the  Sun  Fire  office,  for  he  said  he  did 
not  think  it  right  any  longer  to  hold  it  as  a  councillor. 
Tills  was,  indeed,  a  bombshell  among  them,  as  they  most 
of  them  were  directors  of  three  or  four  companies,  and 
they  earnestly  tried  to  dissuade  him  ;  but  he  was  inflex- 
ible— he  thought  it  was  right.  "'And  besides,"  he  said, 
''they  have  promised  on  my  retirement  to  put  my  son  in 
my  place !" 

I  well  recollect  being  struck  at  the  pain  endured  by  that 
great  hero.  Sir  James  Outram,  in  coming  up  to  my  room 

180 


1867  OUTRAM 

before  seeing  Sir  Charles  Wood  ;  for  at  that  time  we 
were  located  high  up  in  the  Westminster  Palace  Hotel, 
during  the  building  of  the  new  India  Office  in  Downing 
Street,  and  elevators  were  not  then  in  use.  Perhaps  it 
is  not  generally  known  that  a  word,  now  familiar  to 
us,  derived  its  origin  from  him.  He  had  originated 
rails  on  roads  for  carriages,  which  were  called  ''Outram 
ways,"  and  now  have  come  to  be  called  shortly  "tram- 
ways." 

In  1842  Sir  Charles  Napier  had  proposed  his  health 
as  the  Bayard  of  India,  sa7is  peur  et  sans  reproclie,  and 
that  was  before  his  splendid  work  in  Persia,  and  his 
services  through  the  Indian  Mutiny,  where  he  so  nobly 
sacrificed  his  rank  and  command  to  Sir  Henry  Have- 
lock,  to  whom  he  gave  all  the  credit  and  praise  for  the 
relief  of  Lucknow.  It  was  said  in  Bombay  "  that  a  fox 
is  a  fool  and  a  lion  a  coward  compared  with  famous 
Outram."  He,  with  Sir  John  Lawrence,  was  one  of  the 
first  to  receive  the  knighthood  of  the  new  Star  of  India; 
but  his  health  was  broken,  and  I  soon  attended  his  pub- 
lic funeral  in  Westminster  Abbey,  where  the  inscription 
now  can  be  seen  written  over  his  tomb  : 

"THE  BAYARD   OF  INDIA" 

The  new  Indian  Order  was  now  instituted,  and  the 
correspondence  as  to  the  motto,  the  color  of  the  ribbon, 
and  how  it  was  to  be  designated,  was  tremendous. 
Everybody  had  a  suggestion  ;  however,  at  last  it  was 
agreed  that  the  color  should  be  light  blue,  the  motto, 
"'Heaven's  light  our  guide,"  and  the  designation  the 
Star  of  India. 

In  the  winter  of  the  year  1861  the  Prince  Consort 
died,  and  I  was  awakened  in  the  early  morning  to  hear 
the  sad  news.  He  had  never  secured  for  himself  any 
degree  of  personal   popularity,  and  not  until  after  his 

181 


RECOLLECTIONS  1861- 

nntimely  death  did  the  country  ever  api^reciate  his 
worth,  the  difficulties  under  wliich  he  labored,  nor  how 
entirely  faithful  and  unselfish  his  life  had  been  : 

"So  kindly  modest,  all  aceomplished,  wise." 

The  great  body  of  Peelites  Avas  rapidly  passing  away. 
Sidney  Herbert,  who  had  left  the  House  of  Commons,  of 
which  he  was  a  distinguished  ornament,  died  peacefully 
in  his  beautiful  garden  at  Wilton  in  the  August  of  this 
year.  Sir  James  Graham  followed  him  within  three 
months  (October  25, 18G1).  Lord  Elgin,  Lord  Dalhousie, 
and  Lord  Canning  had  fallen  victims  to  the  climate  and 
the  responsibilities  of  our  Indian  Empire  ;  they  had  been 
swept  away,  as  Mr.  Gladstone  said,  "  in  the  full  matu- 
rity of  their  faculties,  and  in  the  early  stages  of  middle 
life."  Some  one  has  said  that  ''forty  is  the  old  age  of 
youth,  and  fifty  the  youth  of  old  age";  and  they  before 
they  reached  that  age  had  all  sought  their  rest. 

One  morning  in  1861  the  telegram  announcing  Lady 
Canning's  death  came  to  me,  and  I  had  to  communicate 
it  to  the  Sydneys  and  her  other  friends.  She  had  been 
a  great  friend  of  my  wife's,  whose  admiration  of  her  from 
"Windsor  days  had  ripened  and  grown  through  the  dark 
days  of  the  Lidian  Mutiny,  when  amid  the  panic  and 
the  fear  and  the  reproaches  of  Ajiglo-Indian  society  in 
Calcutta,  she  maintained  her  courage  and  her  dignity. 
Here  is  Lord  Sydney's  reply  : 

"My  dear  West, — We  are  quite  overwhelmed  by  this  fatal 
news,  and  I  am  rather  afraid  poor  Lady  Canning  was  absent  from 
him,  as  she  was  to  take  a  tour  when  he  went  up  the  country  to  in- 
vest, and  join  him  at  Allahabad  about  the  1st  November. 

"  It  was  only  yesterday  Lady  Sydney  drove  over  to  see  their 
liouse  in  Greenwich  Park,  and  made  a  plan  to  send  out  to  her. 
This  extra  year  is  always  fatal— no  European  can  stand  it. 

"  Yours  truly, 

"  Sydney." 
182 


1867  SIR    JOHN    LAWUENCE 

In  18G2  Lord  Canning  came  home  a  broken  man,  only 
to  die.  When  first  I  saw  him  it  was  easy  to  see  how  the 
''iron  had  entered  into  his  soul,"  but  history  has  done 
justice  to  him  and  his  wife,  who  never  faltered  through 
all  the  horrors  and  anxieties  of  tlie  Indian  Mutiny ;  but 
through  all  the  raging  of  the  frantic  press  and  the 
timid  Anglo-Indians,  held  high  their  courage  and  their 
faith,  and  earned  for  him  what  was  meant  for  a  sneer 
and  a  reproach,  the  finest  Christian  title  of  "Clemency 
Canning." 

Lord  Elgin  was  chosen  as  his  successor,  and  I  never 
was  so  little  impressed  with  anybody  selected  for  so  high 
a  post.  His  reign,  however,  was  short  and  uneventful, 
and  I  received  the  telegram  of  his  death,  which,  after  I 
had  decijihered  it,  I  at  once  took  to  Sir  Charles  Wood, 
who  said  his  successor  must  be  either  Stanley,  Lawrence, 
or  himself. 

Sir  Charles  was  very  fond  of  consulting  Lord  Stanley 
on  Indian  affairs,  and  I  was  warned  that  such  confi- 
dences were  not  always  well  placed ;  years  afterwards 
General  Grey  told  me  that  Disraeli  had  said  :  "  Whenever 
we  wanted  to  know  what  was  going  on,  we  sent  Stanley 
to  find  out  from  Wood." 

It  was  soon  decided  that  Sir  John  Lawrence  was  to  be 
the  new  Governor-General,  and  Sir  Charles  Wood  told 
me  that  he  was  going  to  Windsor  to  get  the  Queen's 
approval,  and  that,  without  revealing  the  secret,  I  was 
to  keep  Sir  John  Lawrence  at  the  office  till  his  return. 
It  was  a  Saturday  afternoon  and  Sir  John  Lawrence 
wanted  to  go  into  the  country.  He  discussed  with  me 
for  a  long  time  who  would  be  the  new  Viceroy,  and  his 
inherent  modesty  never  for  a  moment  put  himself  in 
that  position.  The  hours  passed,  and  I  had  the  greatest 
difficulty  in  keeping  him,  and  at  last  I  had  to  come  to  a 
compromise,  and  arranged  that  he  should  go  to  Pad- 

183 


RECOLLECTIONS  1861- 

dington  to  meet  Sir  Charles,  who  I  was  sure  wanted  to 
sec  him  on  his  return  from  Windsor  ;  and  it  was  on  the 
platform  there  that  he  received  the  appointment  of  Gov- 
ernor-General of  India  ! 

This  incident  was  not  mentioned  in  Mr.  Bosworth 
Smith's  Life  of  Lord  Lawrence,  and  I  wrote  to  Captain 
Eastwick  on  the  subject,  and  got  the  following  answer  : 

12  Leinster  Gardens,  Hyde  Park,  W., 
April  11,  1883. 

"My  dear  West, — I  delayed  replying  to  your  note  until  I  could 
show  it  to  Lord  Halifax.  I  saw  him  this  morning.  He  does  not 
recollect  the  exact  circumstances  of  the  case,  but  has  no  doubt  your 
version  is  the  correct  one.  You  did  not  mention  your  opinion  of  The 
Life.  I  have  been  greatly  pleased  with  it.  I  should  have  made  it 
a  little  shorter,  and  I  would  have  dispensed  with  some  strong  pas- 
sages ;  but  on  the  whole  I  think  it  a  great  work,  a  worthy  record 
of  one  of  England's  worthiest  sons,  written  with  great  vigor  and 
ability.  It  will  add  much  to  Bosworth  Smith's  literary  reputation. 
Having  never  been  in  India,  it  is  extraordinary  how  few  mistakes 
he  has  made  ;  of  course  there  will  always  be  differences  of  opinion 
both  regarding  events  and  persons,  but  his  object  has  been  the 
truth,  and  nothing  but  the  truth.  He  feels,  as  they  said  of  Dr. 
Arnold,  any  cruelty  or  injustice  as  a  blow,  and  therefore  in  some 
cases  he  might  have  modified  expressions;  but  his  whole  heart  has 
been  in  the  subject,  and  he  must  have  gone  through  immense  labor 
to  have  brought  out  such  a  satisfactory  record.  I  have  been  glad 
to  find  Lord  Halifax  is  well,  and  energetic  and  keen  as  ever  about 
public  questions.  I  have  been  very  much  broken  in  health  lately, 
and  miss  not  being  able  to  go  to  my  clubs. 

"  Very  sincerely  yours, 

"  Wm.  I.  Eastwick." 

In  the  beginning  of  1863  the  Princess  Alexandra  of 
Denmark  came  to  London,  and  we  saw  her  entr}^  from 
Lord  Cadogan's  house  in  Piccadilly.  Horace,  who  was 
four  years  old,  went  to  St.  James's  Palace  to  see  her  pass. 
Her  beauty  delighted  the  English  people,  before  they 
knew  that  this  was  the  least  of  those  charms  which  year 

184 


1867       THE     PRINCESS    ALEXANDRA 

by  year  have  endeared  her  more  and  more  to  the  land  of 
her  adoption,  and  made  ns  all  say  what  Tennyson  wrote  : 

"Come  to  us,  love  us,  and  make  us  your  own: 
For  Saxon  or  Dane  or  Norman  we, 
Teuton  or  Celt,  or  whatever  we  be, 
We  are  each  all  Dane  in  our  welcome  of  thee, 

Alexandra!" 

It  was  a  lovely  sight.  An  exceptionally  early  spring, 
which  Tennyson  in  his  ''Marriage  Ode"  alluded  to,  had 
made  Windsor  more  than  usually  beautiful,  and  the 
brilliant  uniforms  and  dresses  in  the  chapel  were  very 
impressive.  The  sun  shone  out  in  great  brilliancy  in 
the  middle  of  the  service,  and  lit  up  all  the  colors  of 
the  banners  and  plaques  over  the  Knights'  heads.  The 
Queen  was  in  her  galleried  pew  over  the  altar.  Later  on 
I  was  one  day  doubting  the  account  of  Lord  Palmerston's 
tears,  which  in  the  Prince  Consort's  Life  flowed  so  easily, 
when  Lord  Granville  said  it  was  quite  true.  "At  the 
Prince  of  "Wales's  marriage  I  recollect  showing  him  the 
Queen  in  her  gallery,  when  he  quite  broke  down  and 
shed  tears." 

In  November  of  1863  our  third  son  was  born,  Gilbert 
Richard,  Lord  Richard  Cavendish  being  his  godfather. 
He  became,  to  our  joy  and  pride,  a  distinguished  officer 
of  the  navy ;  served  in  the  Cape  during  the  African  cam- 
paign— for  which  he  obtained  the  medal — and  in  China, 
North  America,  and  Egypt,  for  which  he  got  the  English 
medal  and  the  Khedive's  star.  lie  was  very  early  made 
a  First  Lieutenant  of  the  Cockatrice,  on  which  ship  he 
contracted  a  heart  complaint ;  but  he  bravely  concealed 
his  certain  death — which  he  knew,  as  we  learned  after- 
wards— came  home  to  die,  and  after  crowning  a  brave 
life  with  a  fair  death,  in  May,  189--2,  was  buried  at  Wan- 
borough,  carried  to  his  grave  by  sailors. 

185 


RECOLLECTIONS  1861- 

On  the  last  day  of  the  year  died  the  Nestor  of  English 
politics,  Lord  Lansdowne,  at  a  great  age.  He  had  been 
Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer,  as  Lord  Henry  Petty,  in 
the  short-lived  Ministry  of  All  the  Talents;  as  was  said 
in  some  fine  lines  that  apjieared  in  Punch : 

"He  fought  with  Pitt,  and  served  with  Fox, 
He  shared  the  struggles  of  a  fiercer  time  than  ours." 

On  that  day  Thackeray  was  buried,  and  I  went  to  his 
funeral  with  Mrs.  John  Leslie'  at  Kensal  Green.  He 
was  a  great  friend  of  hers,  and  spent  many  hours  in  her 
company.  His  death  was  very  sudden,  as  he  was  en- 
gaged to  dine  with  her  on  the  Sunday  before  his  death ; 
his  letter  saying  Fate  and  the  Doctor  prevented  him  from 
keeping  his  engagement  was  the  last  he  ever  wrote. 

Standing  by  his  open  grave  was  Charles  Dickens,  look- 
ing bowed  down  with  sorrow  ;  and  John  Leech  and  Mil- 
lais  wept  as  the  coffin  was  lowered  to  its  last  resting- 
place. 

How  curious  it  is  to  find,  on  looking  back,  that,  just 
as  at  present,  we  English  people  seem  to  be  incapable  of 
ever  thinking  of  more  than  one  thing  at  a  time!  Each 
year,  or  probably  each  month,  has  its  well-defined  sub- 
jects. 

In  1864  it  was  Garibaldi  and  nothing  else  that  pos- 
sessed us  during  his  short  visit.  We  went  to  see  him  at 
Mr.  Seeley's  ;  he  took  up  Horace  in  his  arms  and  kissed 
him.  He  was  a  splendid  figure,  and  quite  embodied  all 
our  ideas  of  a  hero. 

We  spent  a  great  deal  of  time  very  happily  at  Latimer, 
a  charming  place  in  Bucks,  belonging  to  Lord  Chcsham  ; 
used  to  fish  in  the  Chess,  and  hunt  with  the  old  Berke- 
ley hounds,  and  drink  a  great  deal  of  claret,  which  was 

'  Now  Lady  Constance  Leslie. 
186 


1867       SYMPATHY    WITH    DENMARK 

always  good.  Indeed,  this  was  the  last  house  in  which  I 
have  seen  a  horseshoe  mahogan}'  table  drawn  round  the 
fire,  and  bottle  after  bottle  of  claret  disappear.  Sir 
Archibald  Macdonald  told  us  of  a  friend,  who  desired 
him  always  to  say  if  a  bottle  was  not  in  good  order ; 
once  he  did  so.  "  Thank  you,  my  dear  fellow,"  said 
the  friend,  *'do  ring  the  bell";  but  when  the  butler  ap- 
peared ho  was  told  to  bring  coffee  instead  of  another 
bottle. 

The  beauty  and  the  charm  of  the  Danish  Princess  had 
made  Danes  of  us  all,  and  everybody  was  full  of  sym- 
pathy for  the  gallant  little  nation  at  bay  with  Germany 
over  the  Schleswig-Holstein  question. 

It  is  said  that  Lord  John  Russell,  as  well  as  Lord 
Palmerstou,  was  for  redeeming  the  encouragement  given 
by  the  latter,  and  throwing  in  our  lot  with  Denmark ; 
but  it  was  understood  that,  on  finding  that  they  could 
not  reckon  on  any  support  from  France,  the  rest  of  the 
Cabinet  had  outvoted  them. 

In  July  Mr.  Disraeli  moved  a  resolution  condemning 
the  government.  I  was  in  the  House  of  Commons  when 
Lord  Palmerston  rose  to  defend  his  government,  and  I 
was  much  surprised  to  hear  him,  after  devoting  a  short 
time  to  the  justification  of  his  foreign  policy,  taking 
credit  for  all  the  financial  triumphs  of  Mr.  Gladstone, 
though  those  who  were  behind  the  scenes  knew  that  he 
had  not  given  them  much  support  during  their  discus- 
sion in  the  Cabinet.  The  vote  of  want  of  confidence 
was  lost  by  eighteen  votes. 

In  the  autumn  of  1864  we  paid  a  visit  to  Rushmore, 
Lord  Rivers's  place  in  Dorsetshire,  which  we  enjoyed  im- 
mensely. We  settled  to  pay  another  visit  the  following 
September;  but  never  went  there  again,  for  within  a 
short  time  the  only  remaining  son  had  died,  the  prettiest 
daughter  had  been  killed  by  lightning  on  her  wedding 

187 


RECOLLECTIONS  1861- 

tour,  the  father  had  been  ruined,  and  he  and  Lady 
Rivers  had  both  died. 

'  In  1865  we  sold  our  cottage  at  Wembley,  and  were  per- 
suaded by  Mr.  George  Glyn  to  take  possession  of  an  old 
farm  called  Hill  House,  on  the  borders  of  his  park  at 
Stanmore.  Close  to  us  was  a  little  church  where  it  was 
said  Handel,  while  listening  to  the  hammer-strokes  on  the 
anvil  of  an  adjoining  forge,  composed  on  the  organ  his 
"  Harmonious  Blacksmith."  The  frescoed  ceiling  is  still 
there,  where  sprawl  the  gods  of  Verrio  and  Laguerre, 
and  within  a  mile  of  it  is  the  scene  of  Boadicea's  great 
victory. 

I  never  missed  a  possible  opportunity  of  attending  the 
debates  in  the  House  of  Commons,  and  was  there  when 
it  was  announced  that  Cobden  had  died— the  great  free- 
trader and  opponent  of  the  Corn  Laws.  Disraeli  made  a 
pretty  allusion  to  his  spirit  still  being  present  at  their 
debates  as  one  of  the  members  who  "are  independent  of 
the  caprices  of  constituencies,  of  dissolutions,  and  even 
the  course  of  time." 

Bright  told  me  that  during  the  Corn  Law  struggle  the 
secretary  of  the  League  came  to  see  him  in  London,  and 
went  with  him  into  the  Reform  Club  ;  Mr.  Rawson,  over- 
come with  the  magnificence  of  that  splendid  Italian 
building,  put  his  hand  on  Bright's  arm  and  said  :  "  John, 
John,  how  can  we  keep  honest  if  we  live  in  such  palaces 
as  this  ?" 

I  was  present  at  the  end  of  the  session,  when  charges 
were  made  against  Lord  Westbury,  famous  for  his  tal- 
ents, his  acrid  tongue,  and  for  jobs  committed  as  Lord 
Chancellor,  which  forced  him  to  resign  office.  He  was 
succeeded  by  my  father's  old  friend  of  New  Street  days. 
Lord  Cranworth.  Many  stories  are  told  of  Lord  West- 
bury's  wit  and  sharp  sayings.  On  his  becoming  Solici- 
tor-General in  Lord  Palmerston's  government,  he  was 

188 


1867  LORD    WEST  BURY 

called  upon  by  the  committee  of  the  Conservative  Club 
to  resign  his  membership.  Before  obeying,  he  presented 
himself  and  addressed  them.  He  had  a  small,  and,  if  I 
may  use  the  expression,  a  mincing  or  finicking  voice. 
Some  one  at  the  end  of  the  room  called  out :  "  Speak 
up  !"  ''I  should  have  thought, '^  he  said,  "that  the  ears 
of  any  one  in  this  committee  were  long  enough  to  have 
heard  me." 

A  deputation  came  to  see  him  as  Attorney-General, 
and  having  heard  his  advice,  their  spokesman  said  they 
would  like  to  retire  to  make  up  their  minds.  He  re- 
plied :  "  Certainly,  retire  from  this  room,  and  when  you 
have  made  up  what  you  are  pleased  to  call  your  minds 
you  will  return,  but  you  will  not  find  me  here." 

When  the  horses  in  his  carriage  bolted,  he  shouted 
out  to  his  coachman  :  "  Drive  into  something  cheap  !" 

There  is  a  touching  story  of  him  which  Sir  William 
Gull  told  me,  and  though  I  think  it  has  been  mentioned 
in  his  Life,  it  is  good  enough  to  be  repeated. 

He  was  dying  of  a  painful  disease,  and  said  to  Sir 
William  and  Sir  James  Paget :  "  Surely  this  is,  if  ever 
there  was,  a  case  for  euthanasia,  or  the  happy  despatch." 

They  argued  with  him  that  their  duty  was  to  preserve 
life,  and  on  the  following  day  he  said  :  "  I  suppose  you 
were  right.  I  have  been  thinking  over  the  story  of  what 
the  Roundhead  said  when  he  met  the  Royalist  in  Heaven. 
He  was  surprised  at  his  presence,  and  asked  him  how  it 
had  come  about.     The  Royalist  answered  : 

"'Between  the  saddle  and  the  ground 
I  mercy  sought  and  mercy  found.' 

I  suppose  you  think  that  might  be  my  case." 

In  reading  his  Life  I  was  struck  by  an  error  into  which 
biographers  often  fall.  Instead  of  enlarging  on  the 
cleverness  which  brought  the  son  of  an  obscure  village 

189 


RECOLLECTIONS  1861- 

apothecary  to  the  highest  office  of  the  State,  his  biog- 
rapher labors  to  trace  his  descent  from  some  ancient 
Welsh  king. 

When  George  IV.  was  descanting  at  a  Mansion  House 
dinner  on  the  merits  of  the  English  Constitution,  in 
Avhicli  all  could  distinguish  themselves,  he  said,  turning 
to  Lord  Chancellor  Eldon,  whose  father  had  been  a  por- 
ter :  "  My  noble  friend,  sprung  from  the  very  dregs  of 
the  people,  now  fills  the  highest  office  in  the  State";  and 
Lord  Eldon  did  not  like  it. 

Iti  October,  1865,  after  a  very  short  illness,  died  Lord 
Palmerston,  who  as  Foreign  Minister  had  filled  and 
brightened  so  many  pages  of  English  history,  who  had 
so  well  understood  the  English  character,  and  who  had 
achieved  a  position  in  its  way  unrivalled.  His  "  Civis 
Romanus  sum  "  was  the  embodiment  of  a  feeling  truly 
British,  before  it  had  degenerated  into  the  vulgar  phase 
of  Jingoism.  He  was  a  great  loss  to  his  couiitry  and  a 
greater  loss  to  the  government,  of  which  he  was  the 
head.  I  attended  his  funeral  in  Westminster  Abbey,  and 
as  his  body  was  being  lowered  into  the  grave,  a  brilliant 
ray  of  sunshine  fell  on  his  coffin.  It  was  a  public  funeral 
of  a  man  who  had  died  as  Prime  Minister;  and,  curiously 
enough,  neither  Lord  Derby  nor  Mv.  Disraeli  attended 
it,  nor,  as  far  as  I  could  hear,  any  leading  members  of  the 
Opposition  except  Lord  Salisbury.  Coming  away,  Sir 
Charles  Wood  said  to  me,  "  Our  quiet  days  are  over  ;  no 
more  peace  for  us,"  and  his  words  were  soon  to  be  veri- 
fied. Lord  John  Russell  became  Prime  Minister  ;  but 
somehow  things  in  the  session  of  1866  went  wrong  ;  a 
terrible  scourge  of  plague  had  fallen  on  our  cattle  ;  there 
had  been  an  outbreak  in  Jamaica,  cruelly  re^jressed  by 
Governor  Eyre  ;  a  financial  crisis  had  occurred  :  Overend 
&  Gurney  put  up  their  shutters  on  a  day  which  is  still 
well  remembered  in  the  City  as  "Black  Monday";  Ire- 

190 


1867    SIR    CHARLES   WOOD'S    ACCIDENT 

land  was  restless,  and  the  Habeas  Corpus  Act  was  sus- 
pended, as  usual. 

In  November,  when  working  at  the  India  Office,  I  re- 
ceived the  news  of  Sir  Charles  Wood's  bad  fall  while 
hunting  at  Hickleton.  He  was  riding  a  horse  which  was 
very  nervous,  and  unfortunately,  before  starting,  he  had 
asked  Lady  Mary's  maid  for  a  piece  of  cord  for  his  hat ; 
she  had  given  him  a  bit  of  elastic,  and  by  some  chance 
his  hat  came  off  and  banged  up  and  down  on  his  horse's 
quarters  which  drove  him  nearly  mad.  Sir  Charles  was 
a  fine  rider,  and  maiuiged  to  keep  his  seat,  but  coming  to 
a  field  at  the  end  of  which  was  a  quarry,  he  foresaw  his 
danger,  and  tried  to  drop  on  his  arm  on  a  low  stone  wall, 
instead  of  which  he  fell  on  his  head  and  sustained  a  con- 
cussion of  the  brain.  The  next  day  I  received  tlie  fol- 
lowing letter  from  his  sou,  giving  me  his  account  of  the 
accident : 

"  My  fiilher  is  going  on  as  well  as  possible,  and  the  doctor  says 
all  will  be  well  if  he  will  only  be  quiet  for  the  next  few  days.  This 
he  says  to  himself  is  all  nonsense,  and  that  he  is  quite  well ;  but 
nonsense  or  not,  quiet  he  shall  be.  He  will  not  come  to  London  be- 
fore Monday  week. 

"The  accident  happened  from  his  hat,  which  was  fastened  by  a 
string,  blowing  off  and  frightening  his  horse,  who  plunged  and 
reared  and  darted  off  in  a  way  that  was  awful  to  see. 

"  My  father  contrived  to  turn  him  once,  but  at  last  fell  backwards 
against  a  wall. 

"He  was  quite  unconscious  for  some  minutes,  and  I  can  hardly 
bear  to  think  of  him,  as  I  saw  him,  motionless  and  covered  with  blood. 

"  The  whole  thing  liappened  close  to  Mr.  Armytage's,  so  that  we 
got  him  into  a  cottage,  whence,  after  a  little,  he  contrived  to  walk 
home.  I  am  most  thankful  that  my  mother  did  not  see  him  till  she 
saw  him  walk  into  the  room,  and  still  more  thankful  that  it  is  no 
worse  ;  it  might  have  been  most  serious. 

"  I  shall  be  in  London  on  Monday,  and  perhaps  you  can  manage 
not  to  send  his  bag  for  a  day  or  two  ;  after  that  I  hope  he  may  be 
about  again,  but  the  doctor  is  anxious  he  should  be  very  quiet. 

"  Yours  affectionately,  C  L.  W." 

191 


RECOLLECTIONS  1861- 

As  he  was  now  recovering,  I  thought  it  was  a  good 
opportunity  to  have  a  day's  hunting  with  the  Okl  Berke- 
ley, and  in  the  middle  of  the  run  I  got  a  tremendous  fall 
over  a  stiff  wattled  fence  ;  I  pitched  full  on  my  head  and 
heard  a  crash  which  I  thought  was  my  skull,  but  fortu- 
nately it  turned  out  to  be  my  hat,  which  was  completely 
telescoped.  The  rapidity  of  my  ideas  struck  me  as  cu- 
rious, for  in  tliat  instant  of  time  it  occurred  to  me  it  was 
a  strange  coincidence  that  the  same  thing  should  have 
happened  to  me  so  soon  after  the  accident  to  my  chief. 

Though  Sir  Charles's  recovery  Avas  complete,  he 
thought  it  wiser  to  retire  from  the  cares  and  responsi- 
Inlities  of  office.  There  was  great  sorrow  and  consterna- 
tion in  the  India  Office,  where  he  was  much  loved,  and 
Lady  Mary  wrote  me  the  following  letter : 

"  Belgrave  Square,  Monday  evening. 

"  My  dear  Algie, — I  thank  you  very  much  for  your  very  kind 
note — it  is  pleasant  to  me  to  hear  that  my  husband's  services  are  ap- 
preciated by  those  who  know  most  of  liim,  for  I  do  not  think  he  lias 
always  met  with  justice  from  others.  The  only  part  in  the  busi- 
ness that  really  grieves  me  is  the  change  it  may  make  to  you  and 
Mary.  The  India  Office  does  not  afford  much  means  of  doing  any- 
thing for  anybody  in  this  country.  I  do  hope  Lord  de  Grey  (I 
assume  tliat  it  will  be  Lord  de  Grey)  may  be  able  to  keep  you  on — 
I  am  sure  for  his  own  sake  lie  ought  to  do  so — for  your  knowledge 
and  experience  in  the  office  could  not  but  be  most  useful  to  him. 
If  he  does,  it  may  in  the  end  be  better  for  you  to  be  employed  b}'' 
a  person  who  is  likely  to  take  an  active  part  in  politics  for  years 
to  come. 

"/  look  forward  with  more  pleasure  than  I  can  w^ell  express  to 

having  my  husband  so  mucii  more  with  me.      He   is  very  tired 

to-night,  but  he  has  had  two   harassing  days,  and  the   letter  to 

the   Queen    was  a  difficult   one  to  write.      I  cannot    help   being 

pleased  at  iier  regretting  him  so  much— and  I  have  a  very  pretty 

note  from  Sir  Erskine  Perry  describing  what  took  place  in   the 

Council. 

"Ever  affectionately  yours, 

"Mary  Wood." 

193 


1867       TRIBUTE    FROM    THE    TIMES 

To  me  it  was  a  great  blow,  as  I  had  thoroughly  enjoyed 
my  work  and  association  with  him. 

The  Times  well  described  what  that  work  had  been : 

"As  a  monument  of  his  industry,  ability,  and  judg- 
ment, Sir  Charles  Wood  may  fairly  point  to  his  six  years' 
administration  of  India,  during  a  period  of  unexampled 
difficulty  at  home  and  abroad;  he  found  everything  in 
disorder  and  had  everything  to  reconstruct. 

"  He  had  to  recast  the  whole  judicial  system  of  India ; 
to  create  for  her  a  paper  currency ;  to  superintend  the  re- 
modelling of  her  taxation  and  the  reorganization  of  her 
finances;  he  had  to  develop  a  railway  system,  and  last 
and  most  difficult  of  all,  to  carry  through  the  herculean 
labor  of  amalgamating  the  Queen's  armies. 

*'  Where  is  the  man  possessed  of  that  extent  and  vari- 
ety of  knowledge,  that  quickness,  industry,  and  versa- 
tility, that  acquaintance  with  matters  financial,  military, 
naval,  judicial,  and  political,  which  will  enable  him  to 
deal  with  a  firm  and  unfaltering  hand  with  the  mighty 
destinies  of  150,000,000  of  the  human  race  ?" 

He  became  Viscount  Halifax  and  was  succeeded  at  the 
India  Office  by  Lord  de  Grey,  who  made  me  his  private 
secretary,  an  appointment  I  did  not  hold  for  very  long, 
as  I  was  made  Deputy-Director  of  the  Indian  Military 
Funds,  the  management  of  which,  after  the  abolition  of 
the  East  India  Company,  had  devolved  on  the  Crown. 
The  work  was  uninteresting,  and  the  chief  advantage  to 
me  was,  that  I  served  under  Mr.  Seccombe,  the  Financial 
Secretary  to  the  Council,  one  of  the  ablest,  and  certain- 
ly the  kindest  of  the  East  India  Company's  servants,  few 
of  whom  remained  in  office  under  the  Crown. 

It  was  in  18G5  that  I  first  became  personally  acquaint- 
ed with  Sir  Charles  Trevelyan.     He  had  been  Secretary 
of  the  Treasury  from  1840  to  1859  ;  Governor  of  Madras 
till  18G0,  when  he  returned  to  England  till  1865,  when 
N  193 


RECOLLECTIONS  1861- 

hjir  L'luirlos  Wood,  overlooking  the  breach  of  discipline 
of  which  he  had  been  guilty  at  Madras,  appointed  him 
as  the  Financial  Member  of  the  Governor  -  General's 
Council.  He  was  extraordinarily  hard  working,  and  just 
before  he  started  for  India,  he  asked  me  if  I  could  supply 
him  with  Blue  Books  to  entertain  him  on  his  journey, 
saying  that  he  devoured  them  all  with  avidity,  and  that 
I  could  not  provide  him  with  too  many. 

Sir  John  Kaye,  the  brilliant  author  of  The  Sepoi/ 
War,  who  on  the  transfer  of  the  government  of  India  to 
the  Crown  had  succeeded  John  Stuart  Mill  as  secretary 
of  the  Secret  and  Political  Dejiartment  in  the  India 
Office,  showed  his  kindness  to  me  by  writing  an  article 
in  the  Anglo-Indian  newspaper  on  my  appointment  as 
Deputy-Director  of  Indian  Military  Funds,  in  which  he 
said  that  the  only  criticism  that  could  be  made  on  it  was 
that  I  was  too  young,  but  that  was  a  fault  which  time 
would  cure.  He  gave  me  valuable  help  in  editing  my 
work  on  Indian  history,  for  I  had  some  spare  time  which 
I  devoted  to  writing  an  account  of  Sir  Charles  Wood's 
administration  of  India.  My  book  was  a  great  success 
from  every  other  than  a  financial  point  of  view. 

Many  were  the  stories  I  heard  of  Charles  Lamb,  who, 
in  the  preface  of  his  Essays  of  Elia,  said  that  they  were 
only  the  production  of  his  idle  hours ;  his  serious  work 
lay  in  the  archives  of  the  India  House. 

An  American  came  over  to  study  these  documents, 
which  Kaye  told  me  could  nowhere  be  found.  The  story 
of  Lamb's  answer  to  the  East  India  directors,  who  blamed 
him  for  coming  too  late  to  his  office,  Avhen  he  said :  "  It 
is  true  that  I  come  late,  but  I  always  leave  early,"  is  too 
old  a  friend  to  omit;  but  some  lines  he  wrote  on  his 
duties  are  perhaps  not  so  well  known.  It  was  the  custom 
of  the  India  House  always  to  give  tea  to  any  clerk  coming 
before  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  Charles  Lamb  wrote: 

194 


1867  THE    CAVE    OF    ADULLAM 

"From  ten  to  eleven 
Eat  breakfast  for  seven. 
From  eleven  to  noon 
Think  I've  come  too  soon. 
From  noon  to  one 
Think  what's  to  be  done. 
From  one  to  two 
Find  nothing  to  do. 
From  two  to  three 
Think  it  will  be 
A  very  great  bore 
To  stay  till  four." 

In  18G6  Mr.  Goschen,  who  had  distinguished  himself 
at  college  and  was  a  member  for  the  City,  having  written 
a  work  on  Foreign  Exchanges,  was  jiJer  saltum  put  into 
the  Cabinet  by  Lord  John  Eussell.  I  was  told  by  one 
of  his  colleagues  that  this  was  done  without  anybody's 
knowledge,  and  therefore  without  any  consultation  what- 
ever. 

Lord  Kussell's  Reform  Bill,  which  Avas  introduced  in 
1866,  provoked  serious  opposition  ;  and  a  number  of  weak- 
kneed  Liberals  deserted  their  party  and  found  their  way 
into  what  John  Bright  humorously  described  as  the  Cave 
of  Adullam,  "  in  which  every  one  that  was  in  distress, 
and  every  one  that  was  in  debt,  and  every  one  that  was 
discontented,  gathered  themselves  together."  Not  the 
splendid  oratorical  eloquence  of  Mr.  Gladstone,  eclipsing 
even  that  of  John  Bright,  could  save  the  Bill  from  ever- 
decreasing  majorities.  The  debates  on  that  occasion  rose 
to  the  highest  pitch,  and  Mr.  Gladstone's  excelled,  in  my 
opinion,  any  speech  he  had  made  before  or  after.  His 
peroration  on  Lord  Dunkellin's  amendment  was  far  away 
the  finest  T  ever  heard.  "  The  banner,"  he  said,  "  which 
we  now  carry  in  the  fight,  though  perhaps  at  some  mo- 
ment of  the  struggle  it  may  droop  over  our  sinking  heads, 
yet  will  float  again  and  catch  the  eye  of  Heaven,  and  will 

195 


RECOLLECTIOxVS  1861- 

be  borne  by  the  finu  luiiuls  of  a  triumphant  j)eople,  not 
to  an  easy  but  to  a  certain  and  not  far  distant  vic- 
tory." 

The  excitement  in  the  House  was  tremendous.  Dis- 
raeli, who  had  preceded  him,  had  been  in  his  happiest 
vein  ;  and  the  result  of  the  division  was  awaited  witli 
breathless  anxiety.  When  the  numbers  were  announced, 
the  Reform  Bill  was  dead,  and  with  it  the  fate  of  the 
government  was  decided. 

Lowe,  Avho  had  been  the  life  and  soul  of  the  Adullamite 
party  which  he  had  formed,  had  a  complete  triumph. 
Through  the  whole  of  the  protracted  debates  he  had 
attacked  the  government  with  all  the  skill  of  a  guerilla 
chief. 

He  had  entered  late  into  English  political  life  ;  a 
scholar  of  high  culture  ;  a  strange  combination  of  a  Tory 
and  a  Radical,  scarcely  knowing  which  he  despised  most ; 
a  terrible  parliamentary  critic  ;  and  he  attained  a  liigh 
reputation  as  a  speaker.  In  opposition  he  was  as  effective 
as  he  proved  himself  later  to  be  ineffective  in  statement 
and  defence  ;  and  this,  I  think,  was  to  be  explained  from 
his  being  a  nervous  and  epigrammatic  speaker,  requiring 
all  the  cheers  which  he  freely  got  from  the  Tory  benches 
to  fill  up  the  gaps  between  each  incisive  sentence  ;  these, 
in  later  days,  when  he  was  in  office,  not  being  forthcom- 
ing, his  speeches  became  halting  and  almost  painful  to 
liear.  I  was  in  the  House  during  the  sad  scene  of  his 
final  breakdown. 

Those  who  remember,  or  who  have  read,  the  Reform 
debates  of  18GG  will  be  struck  by  the  constant  Latin  quo- 
tations made  use  of,  which  since  that  time  have  almost 
entirely  been  discontinued. 

I  recollect  on  an  earlier  occasion  how  Bernal  Osborne, 
drawing  into  his  service  some  hackneyed  and  well-worn 
Latin  quotation,  paused  and  said,  "  Which  for  the  bene- 

196 


1867  HYDE    PARK    RIOTS 

fit  of  the  moneyed  classes  sitting  around  me,  I  will 
translate.'*' 

Thus  ended  for  the  time  the  Reform  Bill  and  the  gov- 
ernment, and  with  it  the  long  political  life  of  Lord  Rus- 
sell. The  opening  of  his  career  had  been  illumined  by 
the  passing  of  Lord  Grey's  Reform  Bill  of  1832 ;  the 
ending  of  his  career  was  clouded  by  the  failure  of  his 
own  Reform  Bill  of  1866. 

Born  in  the  Whig  purple  as  a  reformer,  he  remained  a 
reformer  till  his  old  age  and  his  death.  He  had  never 
been  an  admirer  of  Peel,  and  once  when  staying  at  Minto 
with  my  brother,  and  wlien  the  party  were  playing  in 
the  evening  at  the  game  of  bouts  rimes,  he  wrote : 

"I  ne'er  was  a  soldier  of  Peel, 
Nor  e'er  did  I  sit  at  his  back ; 
For  while  he  wriggled  about  like  an  eel, 
I  swam  straight  on  like  a  jack." 

To  Lord  Derby  was  now  given  the  unpleasant  task  of 
forming  a  government  which  must  of  necessity  be  in  a 
minority.  No  sooner  had  he  assumed  the  reins  of  gov- 
ernment than  the  country  became  alive  with  agitation  in 
favor  of  Reform.  A  great  demonstration  was  to  be  held 
in  Hyde  Park,  and  Mr.  Walpole,  who  was  Home  Secre- 
tary, attempted  to  prohibit  it  ;  but  the  people  pushed 
down  the  rails  of  the  park  and  held  their  meeting. 
The  Foot  Guards  were  called  out  and  were  cheered  by 
the  populace,  who  were  perfectly  good-natured  ;  but  the 
government  was  alarmed,  and  Silencer  Walpole  resigned 
the  Home  Office  and  was  succeeded  by  Mr.  Gathorne 
Hardy. 

In  the  autumn  of  this  year  the  submarine  telegraph 
was  successfnlly  laid  between  England  and  America, 
and  messages  passed  between  the  Queen  and  the  Presi- 
dent. 

197 


RECOLLECTIONS  1861- 

Our  youngest  son,  Angnstus  AVilliam,  wus  born  at  Hill 
House,  Harrow  "Weald,  where  we  were  then  living,  in 
August  1866.  Princess  Christian  was  his  godmother, 
and  Lord  Barrington  and  Colonel  Sotheby  his  godfathers. 

My  father  had  been  ill  with  gout,  and  I  went  with  him 
to  AViesbaden,  where  we  met  and  saw  mucli  of  Lord 
Clarendon.  The  place  certainly  did  not  suit  me,  thougli 
it  did  my  fatlier  good,  and  I  came  back  as  quickly  as  I 
could. 

In  1866  Father  Prout  died  in  Paris.  He  had  been 
French  correspondent  of  the  Globe,  and  was  very  witty. 
AVriting  about  the  financial  smasli  of  Felix  Solar,  he  said 
how  all  his  many  friends  had  fallen  away  from  him — 
tliat  the  popular  "  Felix  "  was  now  "  Monsieur  Solar," 
and  quoted  these  appropriate  lines  : 

"Donee  eris  Felix  multos  numerabis  amicos  : 
Nubila  cum  veniunt  plurima  Solar  eris." 

On  December  30  I  walked  down  with  my  son  Horace 
to  see  Lady  de  Grey,  who  lived  in  the  house  where  Pitt 
died,  on  Wimbledon  Common.  On  reaching  the  top  of 
Putney  Hill,  we  saw  in  the  distance  the  fire  which  was 
raging  at  the  Crystal  Palace,  destroying,  as  we  after- 
wards learned,  the  whole  of  the  north  wing  of  the  build- 
ing. 

In  February,  1867,  Parliament  met,  and  we  were  not 
surprised  to  hear  that  Disraeli  was  at  once  going  to  deal 
with  Reform.  Needless  to  say,  the  Tories  were  trying 
their  old,  old  game  of  outbidding  their  Liberal  op- 
ponents. He  attempted  to  deal  with  the  question  by 
resolutions,  but  had  soon  to  abandon  this  course  of  \)Vo- 
cedure  and  promised  a  Reform  Bill.  Then  followed  the 
resignations  of  Lords  Cranborne  and  Carnarvon  and 
General  Peel  ;  and  I  remember  the  merriment  that  was 
caused  by  a  speech  delivered  by  Sir  John  Pakington  to 

198 


1867        THE    "TEN    MINUTES'    BILL" 

his  constituents  on  the  situation.  It  appeared  that  Dis- 
raeli, with  a  clear  view  to  eventualities,  had  prepared 
two  bills,  one  more  comprehensive  than  the  other  ;  the 
more  moderate  of  the  two  was  explained  to  the  Cabinet, 
but  seeing  it  was  coldly  received  he  produced  the  more 
comprehensive  one  to  his  remaining  colleagues,  only  ten 
minutes  before  he  had  to  explain  it  in  the  House  of 
Commons,  and  hence  it  was  called  the  "  Ten  Minutes 
Bill." 

The  clause  giving  the  franchise  to  householders  was 
added  in  committee.  The  Bill  was  remodelled  by  the 
opposition  and  its  character  was  practically  summed  up 
as  follows  by  John  Stuart  Mill  in  a  speech  to  a  large 
meeting  in  St.  James's  Hall :  "  Mr,  Disraeli  offers  his 
Eeform  Bill  to  the  householders  of  the  towns,  and  they 
say  'Thank  you,  Mr.  Gladstone.'" 

In  this  month  Lord  Barrington  died,  and  I  went  to  his 
funeral  at  Becket.  Among  the  mourners  was  William 
Ashley,  who  had  recently  gone  into  the  wine  trade,  and 
I  was  much  pleased  to  see  how  in  his  grief,  which  was 
genuine  and  sincere,  he  did  not  neglect  his  business. 

''Poor  dear  William,"  he  said,  in  a  voice  breaking 
with  emotion,  "  how  often  I  have  enjoyed  his  hospitality, 
and  what  good  claret  he  had  !  By  the  by,"  turning  to 
his  neighbors,  "  I  have  got  some  of  it  on  hand  now  which 
I  could  let  you  have  at  a  price";  and  before  the  train 
came  up,  he  had  obtained  two  orders  ! 

We  were  then  living  in  a  little  house  in  James  Street, 
Buckingham  Gate,  which,  being  near  to  the  House  of 
Commons,  gave  us  many  opportunities  of  having  pleasant 
dinners,  consisting  of  men  who  escaped  for  an  hour  or 
two  and  brought  us  the  last  news;  George  Glyn,  Bo 
Grosvenor,  Alfred  Seymour,  Stansfeld,  and  others  were 
constant  guests  on  those  occasions. 

In  the  spring  I  Jiad  a  slight  attack  of  ophthalmia,  and 

199 


RECOLLECTIONS  1861- 

my  eyes  were  so  bad  that  I  was  slnit  up  in  a  dark  room. 
On  the  Derby  Day  we  went  down  to  Hill  House  in  a 
terrific  snow-storm  !  It  is  commonly  said  tliat  the  race 
for  the  Derby  was  run  in  it,  but  really  it  cleared  just  as 
the  race  came  off. 

AVe  stayed  several  times  at  Hazelwood,  Lady  Rokeby's, 
who  had  there  made  a  most  lovely  garden  to  which  she 
was  devoted.  Lord  Rokeby  was  an  old  Waterloo  officer, 
and  had  lived  to  command  the  Guards  in  the  Crimea. 
He  was  always  ready  to  talk  and  to  tell  long  stories  in 
execrable  French  ;  but  he  was  hospitable  and  kind,  and 
much  beloved  by  his  family  and  friends. 

In  the  autumn  we  paid  a  short  visit  to  Westbrook,  a 
place  near  Boxmoor  belonging  to  Lord  Stratford  de  Red- 
cliffe,  who  had  played  a  great  part  in  Eastern  politics, 
where  we  met  Lord  Lyons  and  listened  attentively  to 
all  their  talk  on  the  Eastern  question.  Motley  described 
Lord  Stratford  de  Redcliffe  as  ''charming,  interesting, 
straightforward,  a  fine  specimen  of  a  manly,  incorrupti- 
ble, prejudiced,  choleric,  handsome,  sympathetic,  diplo- 
matic, thoughtful,  wrong-thinking  octogenarian  of  the 
elder  epoch." 

This  year  there  was  a  magnificent  ball  at  the  India 
OfHce,  given  to  the  Sultan,  paid  for  by  the  Indian 
government — an  unjustifiable  proceeding  in  my  opinion; 
the  ball  was  very  lovely,  though  a  shocking  tragedy  oc- 
curred in  the  death  of  Madame  Musurus,  the  wife  of  the 
Turkish  Ambassador,  who  was  taken  suddenly  ill  and 
died  on  the  spot. 

On  a  dark  and  gloomy  night  in  the  winter  we  were 
startled  by  the  account  of  a  great  explosion  at  the  House 
of  Detention  at  Clerkenwell,  where  some  Fenian  prisoners 
were  in  custody,  and  I  went  to  see  the  many  houses  that 
were  wrecked  ;  and  a  short  time  after,  I  gained  admis- 
sion to  Bow  Street  to  see  the  committal  of  those  impli- 

200 


1867    THE    CLERKENWELL    EXPLOSION 

cated  in  this  outrage.  It  was  a  curious  sight,  for  I 
passed  through  a  line  of  policemen  armed  with  cutlasses 
and  revolvers,  and  looking  up  to  the  skylight  I  saw 
there  more  police  equally  armed. 

Sybil,  the  beautiful  daughter  of  General  and  Mrs. 
Grey,  and  my  wife's  first  cousin,  was  married  at  the 
Chapel  Eoyal,  St.  James's  Palace,  on  June  20,  1867,  to 
the  Duke  of  St.  Albans.  The  chapel  itself  is  as  gloomy 
and  unpretentious  a  building  as  can  well  be  imagined, 
and  yet  it  was  a  pretty  sight  to  see  the  little  procession 
come  across  the  color-yard  in  the  bright  summer  day 
and  bring  the  sunshine  in  with  them. 


CHAPTER  IX 

1868-1869 

KirUman  Hodgson  :  His  Mother's  Reminisnonces  of  Robespierre — 
Moor  Park  and  Cassiobury — John  Stuart  Mill's  Candidature  for 
Westminster — Death  of  Lord  Brougham:  His  Wit  and  Egotism 
— Mr.  Gladstone's  Return  to  Power — I  am  Appointed  His  Pri- 
vate Secretary — William  Bramston  Gurdoti :  His  Quixotic  Con- 
scientiousness —  Lord  Granville  and  Mr.  Gladstone  —  Bobsy 
Meade — l\Ir.  Arthur  Helps — Mr.  Reeve — Mr.  Arthur  Arnold — 
Residence  in  Downing  Street  —  Mr.  Gladstone  and  the  Irish 
Church  Disestablishment — His  Great  Speech  on  March  1,  1869 
— Mr.  Gladstone  at  the  Derby  —  Holidays  at  Walmer  Castle — 
Walks  with  Mr.  Gladstone— Irish  Church  Bill  Carried— End  of 
the  Session — At  Highgate  with  George  Glyu  :  His  Three  Ambi- 
tions—Holidays at  Fincastle— De  Grey's  Rifle-shooting- Henry 
Austin  Bruce  :  His  Unselfish  Character. 

When  living  at  Hill  House  we  saw  a  greal  deal  of  our 
neighbor,  Kirkman  Hodgson,  a  very  •distinguished  Gov- 
ernor of  the  Bank  of  England.  His  mother — who  was 
then  alive,  and  lived  until  188G — recollected,  as  a  little 
girl  in  Paris,  being  lifted  on  her  father's  shoulders  to 
avoid  the  pressure  of  the  crowd,  and  seeing  the  execu- 
tioner hold  up  the  head  of  Robespierre,  Avith  a  bandage 
fastened  below  his  jaw.  Hodgson  was  excellent  com- 
pany, and  told  us  that  when  he  was  standing  for  Bristol 
a  bigoted  clergyman,  speaking  on  the  Tory  side,  asked 
with  regard  to  him  :  *'Do  you  suppose  that  that  jovial 
millionaire  ever  devotes  a  moment's  consideration  to  the 
state  of  his  own  soul  ?" 

203 


1868-1869      MILL    AND    THE    DUKE 

Amoug  our  other  neighbors  Avere  Lord  and  Lady  Es- 
sex at  Cassiobury,  and  Lord  and  Lady  Ebury  at  Moor 
Park. 

I  always  thought,  and  still  think,  Moor  Park  a  beauti- 
ful specimen  of  a  huge  Italian  villa,  with  its  great  hall 
decorated  by  Amiconi,  and  its  splendid  trees  pollarded,  it 
was  said,  by  the  Duchess  of  Monmouth  in  sorrowful  re- 
membrance of  Monmouth's  execution,  or,  as  others  said, 
to  prevent  them  being  used  for  the  Royal  Navy.  Horace 
Walpole  sneered  most  unjustly  at  it,  saying:  "All  Capa- 
bility Brown  had  done  to  it  was  to  undulate  the  horizon 
in  so  many  artificial  mole-hills,  fully  as  unnatural  as  if 
drawn  with  a  rule  and  compass." 

Cassiobury  Avas  of  a  different  type,  and  very  pictur- 
esque, with  a  lovely  trout  stream  running  through  the 
park. 

Previous  to  the  general  election  of  1868  I  attended  a 
meeting  at  St.  James's  Hall  to  hear  John  Stuart  Mill 
and  Bo  Grosvenor,  who  were  standing  for  Westminster. 
A  ducal  magnate,  who  had  been  at  Eton  and  Oxford, 
had  written  a  very  foolish  letter  to  a  country  clergy- 
man, to  the  effect  that  he  would  withdraw  his  subscrip- 
tion from  his  schools  if  he  did  not  vote  for  a  Tory. 
This  was  hooted  at  from  the  body  of  the  hall.  John 
Stuart  Mill  said  :  "  This,  my  friends,  should  teach  us  a 
lesson  of  deep  humiliation.  If  you  or  I  had  received 
such  an  education  as  this  unhappy  duke,  who  knows  but 
what  you  and  I  might  not  have  written  an  equally  foolish 
letter !" 

Early  in  the  session  Mr.  Gladstone  had  declared  that 
in  his  opinion  the  time  had  come  when  the  Irish  Church, 
as  a  State  institution,  must  cease  to  exist ;  and  those 
who  believed  in  him  knew  that  the  shame  and  disgrace 
of  an  alien  church  in  Ireland  would  shortly  disappear. 

Mr.  Gladstone's  resolutions  were  carried  by  large  ma- 

203 


RECOLLECTIONS  1868- 

joritics,  after  debates  of  a  very  higli  order  on  both  sides 
of  the  House. 

About  this  time  Lord  Brougham,  who  had  long  left 
public  life,  quietly  died  at  Cannes.  I  had  never  knoAvn 
him  except  by  sight.  lie  was  more  talked  about  and 
caricatured  than  any  man  of  his  time.  Thackeray,  meet- 
ing him  at  Miss  Berry's,  said  he  was  enormously  good 
fun,  boiling  over  with  humorous  mischief,  and  the  best 
and  wickedest  old  fellow  he  had  ever  met.  His  motto 
was  "  Pro  rege  lege  grege,"  and  in  Reform  times  he  had 
the  ''lege"  written  in  italics,  making  it — instead  of  as 
originally  meant,  "For  king,  law,  and  people," — "For 
king  read  people." 

lie  was  a  fine  speaker,  and  was  aware  of  it ;  for  on  be- 
ing asked  by  a  lady  wiio  was  the  first  orator  in  the  House 
of  Lords,  he  answered  :  "  I  consider  Stanley  the  second." 

Alfred  Montgomery,  an  old  friend  of  his,  one  day  re- 
ceived a  letter  purporting  to  come  from  a  Mr.  Shafto, 
telling  him  that  Lord  Brougham  had  been  thrown  from 
his  carriage  and  killed.  Sorry  as  he  was  for  the  loss 
of  a  great  friend,  he  was  unable  to  resist  the  strange 
fascination  of  being  the  first  to  tell  of  his  death.  He 
rushed  off  with  the  sad  news  to  Lady  Blessington  at 
Kensington  Gore,  and  then  posted  off  to  Lord  Wellesley, 
who  at  that  time  was  living  near  Windsor,  dropping  the 
news  as  he  passed  at  the  castle.  Obituary  notices  filled  all 
the  morning  papers  the  next  day,  and  then  it  turned  out 
that  Brougham  was  not  dead  at  all,  but  had  perpetrated 
the  hoax  to  see  what  would  be  said  of  him.  Whether  he 
was  pleased  with  the  result  or  not  I  cannot  say. 

When  the  autumn  came,  the  long-expected  election 
was  to  take  place  and  the  results  of  Lord  Derby's  leap  in 
the  dark  were  to  become  known.  What  happened  is 
now  a  matter  of  history.  Mr.  Gladstone  was  returned 
by  a  triumphant  majority  ;  and  the  fiat  against  the  ex- 

204 


1869  GLADSTONE    AS     PREMIER 

istence  of  the  Irisli  Church  as  an  establishment  had  been 
ratified  by  the  enlarged  constituencies  of  England,  Scot- 
land, and  Ireland. 

In  November,  1868,  Lady  Caroline  Barrington  en- 
closed to  me  a  kind  letter  from  the  Queen  to  her,  saying 
she  had  appointed  me  a  Gentleman  Usher  of  the  Privy 
Chamber,  an  office  involving  no  arduous  duties,  but 
pleasant,  in  that  it  gave  me  every  opportunity  of  mak- 
ing many  agreeable  acquaintances,  and  of  seeing  in  an 
easy  manner  all  the  State  pageants  of  the  day ;  it  also 
gave  us  the  entree,  which  was  a  privilege  very  acceptable 
to  my  wife. 

The  formation  of  Mr.  Gladstone's  first  government 
was  the  most  rapidly  constituted  administration  on 
record,  except  Lord  Grey's,  in  1830.  On  that  occasion 
the  Duke  of  Wellington  resigned  on  November  16th, 
and  Lord  Grey's  Ministry  was  installed  on  the  22d  of  the 
month.  We  were  dining  on  December  23d  at  Lady  Ade- 
laide Cadogan's  in  South  Audley  Street,  when  the  butler 
brought  in  a  letter  for  me,  saying  in  a  pompous  voice  : 
"The  messenger  has  brought  it  from  Mr.  Gladstone," 
which  caused  a  dead  pause;  it  was  marked  '' Immediate 
and  Private."  On  opening  it,  I  found  it  was  to  ask  me 
to  call  on  him  as  early  as  I  could.  As  I  read  it  to  my- 
self, I  felt  conscious  that  loliatever  I  did  would  look 
foolish  ;  to  say  nothing  would  be  mysterious,  to  look  im- 
portant would  be  silly  ;  so  I  said  what  had  occurred,  and 
asked  my  host  what  I  should  do,  prefacing  it  by  the  re- 
mark that  it  was  probably  only  on  some  small  subject 
connected  with  the  India  Office  on  which  Mr.  Glad- 
stone wanted  information.  However,  as  dinner  was  just 
over — we  had  dined  early  on  our  way  to  a  theatre — it 
was  decided  that  I  should  go  at  once  to  11  Carlton 
House  Terrace,  which  I  did,  but  found  that  Mr.  Glad- 
stone had  gone  out  to  dinner.     I  saw  his  son  Stephen, 

205 


RECOLLECTIONS  1868- 

and  arninged  to  call  at  eleven  o'clock  the  following 
morning.  The  next  day  I  was  kindly  received  in  the 
hall  by  Mrs.  Gladstone,  who  at  once  ushered  me  into 
Mr.  Gladstone's  library,  and  I  then  had  my  first  inter- 
view with  him.  lie  was  sitting,  as  I  see  him  now,  at 
his  writing-table,  wearing  a  dark  frock-coat,  with  a 
flower  in  his  button-hole  ;  a  pair  of  brown  trousers  with 
a  dark  stripe  down  them,  after  the  fashion  of  twenty 
years  earlier  :  a  somewhat  disordered  neckcloth  and 
large  collar,  the  never-ending  subject  of  so  much  merri- 
ment in  contemporaneous  caricature  ;  and  I  noticed  the 
black  finger-stall  which  he  invariably  adjusted  over  the 
amputated  finger  on  his  left  hand  before  he  began  to 
write.  An  upward  and  almost  annoyed  look  at  the  in- 
terruption caused  by  my  entrance  melted  into  a  kindly 
smile  as  Mrs.  Gladstone  told  him  who  I  was. 

He  was  surrounded  with  a  mass  of  accumulated  cor- 
respondence, which  added  to  my  involuntary  awe  in  ap- 
proaching him;  but  he  at  once,  in  a  flattering  way,  asked 
me  to  be  his  private  secretary.  I  cannot  describe  the 
delight  with  which  I  accepted  his  offer.  My  admiration 
of  him  as  a  public  man  was  very  great,  and  I  had  never 
so  keenly  cared  for  any  political  question  as  for  the  dis- 
establishment of  the  Irish  Churcii. 

In  a  few  minutes  Mr.  Gladstone  had  put  into  my 
hands  a  huge  despatch -box  full  of  correspondence  in 
connection  with  the  formation  of  his  government.  It 
was  then  that  I  understood  why  Sir  Robert  Peel  de- 
scribed it  as  the  hardest  task  that  could  fall  upon  a  Min- 
ister, 

The  modesty  of  a  few  and  the  pretensions  of  many — 
who  reminded  me  of  the  Persian  proverb,  "  They  came 
to  shoe  the  Pasha's  horses,  and  the  beetle  stretched  out 
his  leg" — the  overweening  selfishness  of  some,  and  the 
qualifications  and  aspirations  of   those  eager  for  office, 

206 


1869      AS    SECRETARY    TO    GLADSTONE 

and  a  particular  office  ;  the  vested-interest  claim,  which 
held  that  a  man  once  included  in  a  government  should 
ever  after  have  a  right  to  a  higher  office  in  each  succeed- 
ing administration — all  this  lay  open  before  me. 

How  few  of  these  aspirants  but  are  beyond  their  hopes 
and  their  disappointments  now  ! 

I  soon  left,  promising  to  make  arrangements  with  the 
Duke  of  Argyll  to  enable  me  temporarily  to  leave  the 
office  I  held  under  the  duke,  as  Director  of  Indian  Mili- 
tary Funds. 

I  proposed  to  give  £100  a  year  to  my  second  in  com- 
mand during  my  absence,  and  £130  to  a  new  clerk,  so 
my  pecuniary  gain  by  my  private  secretaryship  was  £80 
per  annum.  Herman  Merivale,  who  was  the  Permanent 
Under  -  Secretary  of  State  for  India,  was  most  kind  in 
helping  me  out  with  these  arrangements,  and  before  the 
day  Avas  over  all  was  settled,  and  I  was  installed  in  the 
beautiful  big  drawing-room  of  Downing  Street,  with 
William  Bramston  Gurdon  from  the  Treasury  as  my  col- 
league. 

Gurdon  was  possessed  of  tremendous  industry  and 
strong  opinions,  and  had  a  conscientiousness  in  regard 
to  jaublic  money  and  its  expenditure  which  even  in  these 
pure  days  was  almost  Quixotic. 

He  was  secretary  to  the  Monetary  Commission  which 
sat  in  Paris,  and  on  him  devolved  the  duty  of  checking 
the  accounts.  On  one  occasion  he  deducted  2s.  Gd.  from 
the  hotel  bill  and  charged  it  to  a  distinguished  member 
of  the  commission  who  had  casually  asked  his  son,  who 
was  on  his  way  through  Paris,  to  the  luncheon  provided 
for  the  commissioners.  At  the  same  time  he  refused  to 
pass  any  bills  for  washing,  as  that,  he  said,  would  have 
been  as  necessary  at  home  as  abroad ;  but  he  made  one 
exception  in  favor  of  a  member  who,  he  ascertained,  had 
a  laundry  of  his  own  at  home,  and  would  therefore  be 

207 


RECOLLECTIONS  18G8- 

exposed  to  extra  cost  by  having   his  linen   washed  in 
Paris. 

When  he  was  on  a  mission  with  which  he  was  intrusted 
in  Africa,  he  put  some  private  letters  in  an  official  en- 
velope to  secure  their  safety,  but  was  careful  to  explain 
that  lie  had  purchased  and  destroyed  a  sufficient  number 
of  colonial  stamps  so  that  the  colonial  exchequer  should 
not  suffer. 

The  division  of  work  was,  as  far  as  possible,  soon  ar- 
ranged ;  he  was  to  deal  with  Treasury  matters  and  the 
administration  of  the  Civil  List  and  Royal  Bounty,  while 
I  was  to  act  in  matters  unofficial  but  political,  and  espe- 
cially in  all  questions  affecting  patronage.  This  happily 
brouffht  me  into  close  and  confidential  relations  with  the 
leader  in  the  House  of  Lords  —  Lord  Granville  —  and  I 
rarely  missed  a  day  without  seeing  him.  Those  of  his 
friends  that  remain  will  know  and  appreciate  the  value 
of  what  I  then  thought  a  privilege,  and  now  hold  among 
the  happiest  of  my  recollections. 

His  tact  and  soothing  qualities  in  the  Cabinet  and  in 
the  House  of  Lords  worked  wonders  ;  and  to  all  in  any 
difficulties,  social  or  political,  he  was  ever  ready  to  lis- 
ten and  to  advise  ;  but  the  charm  of  his  manners  and  his 
conversation  were  not  reserved  for  society,  as  is  so  often 
the  case,  but  shone  forth  in  his  home  and  with  his  fam- 
ily, where  I  wag  so  often  admitted. 

Few  things  arc  more  curious  than  the  devoted  and  un- 
broken friendship  that  existed  between  Mr.  Gladstone 
and  Lord  Granville  ;  curious,  because  the  two  men  were 
so  distinct  in  their  separate  individualities — Mr.  Glad- 
stone immersed  in  literature  or  theology  when  not  occu- 
pied in  controversial  polemics  ;  the  other  a  keen  lover  of 
sport  and  amusements,  naturally  indolent,  devoted  to 
the  lighter  and  social  side  of  life,  and  yet  I  can  say  with- 
out fear  of  contradiction  that  no  breath  of  jealousy  and 

208 


1869  BOBSY    MEADE 

suspicion  ever  ruffled  even  the  surface  of  their  friendship, 
notwithstanding  the  difficulties  that  arose  after  the  elec- 
tion of  1885. 

By  some  inexplicable  and  unfortunate  blunder,  the 
fact  that  the  seals  of  the  Foreign  Office  were  not  again 
to  be  in  his  hands  was  not  communicated  to  him  by  Mr. 
Gladstone.  The  next  day  I  told  him  that  Lord  Gran- 
ville was  not  unnaturally  grieved.  "  If  that  is  the  case," 
said  he,  ''I  will  be  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer  and  he 
shall  be  Prime  Minister,  and  you  have  my  authority  to 
tell  him  so." 

Lord  Granville's  charm  was  only  equalled  by  that  of 
his  private  secretary,  who  was  always  familiarly  known 
as  Bobsy  Meade.  He  was  the  son  of  Lord  Clanwilliam, 
and  inherited  some  of  his  social  qualities  and  much  of 
his  aristocratic  indifference.  It  was  said  of  his  father, 
when  a  young  man,  that  he  was  so  sought  after  and  over- 
whelmed with  notes  that  he  gave  up  answering  them  ; 
and  when  he  was  dressing  for  dinner  he  used  to  ask  his 
valet  what  were  his  invitations  for  the  day,  and  he 
would  then  choose  that  which  he  might  consider  the 
most  agreeable.  This,  I  am  sure,  was  not  true,  for  it 
would  have  been  a  rudeness  of  which  he  was  utterly  in- 
capable ;  but  Bobsy,  who  had  that  charm  of  manner  and 
delightful  voice  which  are  denied  to  most  of  us,  was  quite 
capable  of  saying  to  a  friend  who  asked  him  to  dinner  : 
'^Xo,  thank  you  ;  I  think  I  shall  be  more  comfortable  at 
home."     Nothing  he  ever  said  or  did  could  offend. 

Naturally  indolent,  he  was  malgre  lui  the  most  indus- 
trious and  capable  of  officials  ;  and  he  ruled  the  Colonial 
Office,  to  which  he  was  subsequently  appointed,  with  a 
kindly  but  determined  persuasiveness. 

He  told  me  once  that  one  of  his  official  subordinates 
called  on  him,  asking  if  he  might  take  a  holiday.     The 
Parliamentary  work  was  in  full  swing,  and  he  demurred, 
o  209 


RECOLLECTIONS  18G8- 

■  until  lie  hcai'cl  tluit  the  applicant  was  suffering  from  in- 
somnia. 

''Oh/' said  Bobsy  Mead,  who  was  most  sympathetic, 
''by  all  means  go.  IIow  terrible  it  must  be,  going  to 
bed  and  tossing  sleeplessly  about." 

"No,  it  is  not  that,"  said  tiie  sufferer,  "for  I  always 
go  to  sleep  the  moment  I  put  my  head  on  the  pillow  at 
eleven  o'clock." 

"  Ah,  then  you  wake  at  three  or  four  o'clock  I  sujipose, 
and  cannot  go  to  sleep  again  ?" 

"No,  I  cannot  say  that,  but  recently  I  have  found 
that  I  have  taken  to  waking  at  six  o'clock  and  never  clos- 
ing my  eyes  again,  and  I  am  getting  rather  alarmed." 

Another  time  Bobsy  Meade  was  horrified  at  the  in- 
human way  in  which  executions  in  IMalta  were  con- 
ducted, and  thought  he  could  not  do  better  than  consult 
Marwood,  the  executioner,  who  at  his  invitation  came  to 
see  him  at  the  Colonial  Office. 

He  found  him  an  earnest  advocate  of  what  he  profes- 
sionally called  "the  long  drop,"  which  he  maintained 
was  the  most  rapid  way  of  putting  a  man  out  of  existence. 
Mr.  ]\far\vood  was  not  a  highly  educated  man,  but  he  il- 
lustrated his  process  by  saying  : 

"There  was  Mr.  Peace,  a  small  man;  I  gave  him  a 
six-foot  drop,  and  I  hassure  you,  sir,  he  passed  hoff  like 
a  summer  heve." 

It  was  not  long  before  I  made  acquaintance  with  Mr. 
Arthur  Helps,  who  was  at  that  time  Clerk  of  the  Council, 
and  many  were  the  hours  in  which  we  talked  together 
on  a  thousand  questions,  of  wliich  he  always  took  a  pessi- 
mistic view  ;  but  this,  oddly  enough,  did  not  detract 
from  the  charm  of  his  conversation. 

I  told  him  that  the  book  of  his  which  I  liked  far  the 
best  was  Esstii/s  Written  in  the  Litervals  of  Business, 
Avhich  he  declared  he  had  entirely  forgotten. 

210 


1869  DOWNING    STREET 

I  sometimes  also  saw  Mr.  Reeve,  the  editor  of  the 
Edinburgh  Review  and  of  Charles  Grcville's  Memoirs, 
whose  somewhat  pompous  solemnity  made  me  think  how 
witty  Sydney  Smith  was  when  he  was  told  Mr.  Reeve  had 
the  gout.  ''Gout!"  he  said.  "I  should  have  thought 
rheumatism  was  good  enough  for  him." 

Mr.  Arthur  Arnold  was  at  this  time  editor  of  the  Echo, 
which  was  a  most  successful  newspaper.  He  told  me 
that  Mr.  Charles  Yilliers  was  in  the  habit  of  Avriting  to 
him  on  matters  of  personal  gossip,  and  part  of  this  he, 
as  an  editor,  could  not  resist  inserting  in  his  news- 
paper. Mr.  Gladstone  disapproved  of  what  he  thought 
was  copying  an  evil  habit  imported  from  America, 
and  asked  me  to  convey  a  hint  to  the  editor,  which  I 
did  ;  and  had  I  not  known  him  better  in  later  days,  I 
should  have  been  more  astonished  at  the  kind  and 
generous  way  he  took  the  hint  and  abandoned  the  prac- 
tice. 

We  soon  found  that  in  the  press  of  business  it  became 
necessary  that  a  private  secretary  should  always  be  in 
Downing  Street,  and  as  Mr.  Gladstone  was  living  in  his 
house  in  Carlton  House  Terrace,  he  allowed  me  to  take 
possession  of  his  official  residence. 

Downing  Street,  I  may  add,  is  curiously  connected 
with  our  family  history.  On  May  36,  1833,  during  her 
grandfather's  administration,  my  wife  was  born  there, 
as  I  have  said.  After  Lord  Grey's  resignation,  I  cannot 
find  that  anybody  occupied  the  house  officially  until  her 
brother,  Charles  Barrington,  who  was  private  secretary 
to  Lord  Palmerston  when  he  was  Prime  Minister  in 
1855,  took  up  his  residence  there ;  and  later  on,  in  18G9, 
during  Mr.  Gladstone's  first  administration,  we  lived  in 
it.  But  the  coincidence  does  not  end  here,  for  the 
house  had  been  originally  given  to  my  great-great-grand- 
father. Sir  Robert  Walpole,  who  refused  to  accept  it  as  a 

211 


RECOLLECTIONS  1868- 

priviite  gift,  but  made  it  an  official  residence  for  succes- 
sive First  Lords  of  the  Treasury. 

My  life  now  became  stereotyped.  I  moved  into  the 
little  room  looking  to  the  west,  and  into  this  room  I  went 
every  morning  to  open  letters  which  poured  in  at  every 
hour  of  the  dfty. 

At  half-past  nine  breakfast  was  brought  to  me  there, 
and.  by  eleven  o'clock  I  had  succeeded  in  analyzing  the 
correspondence.  Mr.  Gladstone's  mode  of  dealing  with 
it  has  been  so  fully  described  in  Sir  Edward  IHamil- 
ton's  charming  monograph  that  it  need  not  be  repeated 
here. 

The  late  government  had  not  handed  over  foreign 
affairs  in  a  very  satisfactory  state.  Greece  and  Tur- 
key were  flying  at  each  other's  throats,  and  yet  within 
a  few  days  of  Christmas,  Mr.  Gladstone,  to  my  as- 
tonisliment,  gave  me  the  whole  framework  of  the  plan 
of  his  Bill  for  the  Disestablishment  of  the  Irish 
Churcli.  If  it  be  compared  with  the  law  as  it  passed 
the  House  of  Commons,  it  will  be  found  that,  after  all 
the  discussions  and  amendments,  the  original  plan  was 
adhered  to  in  every  point  of  principle  if  not  of  de- 
tail. 

There  was  no  Christmas  holiday  for  us,  and  the  new 
year  only  made  our  work  more  constant  and  engrossing 
up  to  the  meeting  of  Parliament,  when  it  did  not  dimin- 
ish, but  rather  assumed  a  different  aspect. 

Mr.  Gladstone  was  daily  occupied  in  correspondence 
and  important  interviews  on  the  subject  of  the  Irish 
Church,  which  entirely  absorbed  every  hour  of  his  day ; 
but  each  interview  elucidated  some  knotty  point  or 
silenced  some  objections  ;  while  through  it  all  remained 
his  original  scheme. 

In  the  spring  of  18G9  I  sent  Mr.  Gladstone  an  article 
written  in  the  Sjpectator.     He  at  once  answered  : 

313 


1869         MR.    GLADSTONE'S    SPEECH 

"  May  17,  1869. 

"  My  dear  West, — How  kind  of  you  to  send  me  the  Spectator/ 
but  it  is  fiir  loo  flattering  ;  and  I  always  say  that  men  in  my  life 
(with  a  few  exceptions,  sucli  as  Sir  James  Graham)  if  they  some- 
times get  undeserved  blame,  get  a  great  deal  more  of  praise  which 
is  in  excess  of  their  just  claims.     Of  none  is  this  more  true  than 

of  me. 

"  Yours  sincerely, 

"  W.  E.  Gladstone." 

The  afternoon  of  March  1,  18G0,  on  which  Mr.  Glad- 
stone made  his  great  speech  ou  the  Disestablishment  of 
the  Protestant  Church  in  Ireland,  I  was  with  him  at  his 
house  at  3.45,  and  he  had  not  then  finally  arranged  the 
order  of  it,  and  was  sitting  in  his  arm-chair  reading 
Shakespeare  —  no  doubt  refreshing  his  mind  with  the 
words  of  King  Lear,  which  he  afterwards  quoted,  when 
Edgar  endeavors  to  persuade  Gloucester  that  he  has 
fallen  over  the  cliffs  of  Dover  : 

"Ten  masts  at  each  make  not  the  altitude 
Which  thou  hast  perpendicularly  fell : 
Thy  life's  a  miracle." 

He  calculated  that  his  speech  would  occupy  three  hours 
in  delivery,  and  it  lasted  for  three  hours  and  ten  min- 
utes, practically  without  a  check,  being  only  interrupted 
once  by  Seymour  Darner,  who  asked  a  very  silly  question 
about  glebes.  ''  Had  I  wished,"  said  Mr.  Gladstone, 
"  entirely  to  obscure  the  question  I  have  in  hand,  I 
should  have,  as  the  honorable  member  suggests,  in- 
cluded glebe  lands,  etc." 

During  the  Irish  Church  debate  I  always  attended  the 
House  and  kept  a  corrected  bill  of  all  amendments  pro- 
posed and  carried,  for  Mr.  Gladstone's  use  next  day. 

The  Derby  preceded  Whitsuntide,  and  Lords  Gran- 
ville and  Wolverton,  then  George  Glyn,  persuaded  Mr. 
Gladstone  to  go  with  them  and  see  it.     I  confess  I  did 

213 


RECOLLECTIONS  1868- 

not  much  .ipprove,  thinking  it  out  of  his  line  and  not 
altogether  a  dignified  thing  for  liim  to  do;  however, 
they  went,  and  joining  us  in  the  evening  at  a  station  on 
the  line,  we  all  went  for  our  holidays  to  Walnior  Castle 
on  a  visit  to  Lord  Granville,  then  tiie  Lord  AVarden  of 
the  Cinque  Ports.  To  nie  it  was  more  than  ordinarily 
pleasant,  because  I  was  able  to  show  my  wife  all  the 
scenes  of  my  childhood  and  early  boyhood — my  father's 
house  ;  the  bathing-machines  where  I  had  been  nearly 
drowned  ;  the  hill  which  I  had  raced  down  with  the  old 
Duke  of  Wellington,  and  the  very  spot  where  I  had 
missed  hitting  him  with  a  stone  ;  and  the  downs  where 
I  had  learned  to  ride  and  follow  the  West  Street  Harri- 
ers. We  had  a  lovely  time  basking  in  the  sunshine  and 
enjoying  a  real  week's  holiday  after  six  mouths'  severe 
strain,  so  soon  to  be  recommenced. 

Lord  Granville  had  spent  great  sums  in  enlarging  the 
castle,  and  had  called  into  his  assistance  Mr.  Devey, 
who  had  conceived  the  happy  idea  of  bringing  the  old 
stones  of  Sandown  Castle,  wliich  was  rapidly  falling  into 
the  sea,  and  with  them  building  the  new  tower.  So  suc- 
cessful had  he  been,  that  a  friend  staying  there  at  the 
time  mistook  the  new  for  the  old,  and  pointed  out  its 
superiority.  But  beyond  these  additions  Lord  Granville 
had  built  new  stables,  for  he  kept  the  AVest  Street  Har- 
riers, and  had  purchased  a  farm  on  which  he  had  erected 
a  lovely  building  overhanging  the  sea,  which  he  chris- 
tened after  his  daughter  "  Villa  Vita,"  and  here  in  the 
hot  afternoons  we  used  to  have  tea. 

After  AVhitsuntide  the  weather  was  very  warm,  and 
on  our  return  we  often  had  our  dinner  in  the  garden  of 
Downing  Street.  Mr.  (fladstone  enjoyed  the  cool  air  in 
the  evenings,  which  refreshed  him  for  his  return  to  the 
House  of  Commons.  He  and  I  used  frequently  to  walk 
home  together  from  the  House  in  the  early  morning — he 

214 


V'alltci  ABo■J^^^l,;,ll,e 


O'/. 


*/4/^  Y'' 


Qy-Aey  ^If'y///  ,yufn.  //.  Ly.  r^yy/^rm 


\J.yt<me,.J/.^ 


1869  GLADSTONE'S    VICTORY 

bright  and  talking  on  every  subject  but  the  one  on  which 
lie  had  been  debating  all  night.  He  once  said  after  a 
heated  discussion  in  which  he  had,  of  course,  borne  the 
brunt :  "  Do  you  know  I  could  not  get  the  debate  out  of 
my  head  all  night  ?"  "  I  am  not  surprised,"  said  I,  in  my 
innocence.  "Not  surprised!"  he  exclaimed.  "Why, 
if  I  was  to  allow  myself  to  think  over  the  debates  after  I 
had  left  the  House,  I  should  go  mad  in  a  very  short 
time." 

Mr.  Gladstone  was  an  appreciative  rather  than  consid- 
erate master.  At  a  concert  one  evening  Harry  Grey 
tried  to  persuade  me  to  go  down  to  fish  at  Christchurch 
on  the  following  day.  1  told  him  it  was  impossible,  for 
I  was  far  too  busy,  though  I  should  have  liked  it  of  all 
things  ;  and  on  turning  round  I  saw  Mr.  Gladstone,  who 
had  heard  the  conversation,  smiling.  Most  men  would 
have  said,  "Oh,  pray  go."  He  did  not,  which  showed 
me  that  he  appreciated  my  work. 

The  long  discussions  on  the  Irish  Church  Bill,  which 
was  eventually  carried  through  the  House  of  Commons, 
were  beginning  to  tell  on  Mr.  Gladstone.  Then  came  a 
terrible  crisis  of  anxiety  when  the  chances  of  the  bill  be- 
ing thrown  out  in  the  House  of  Lords  were  great,  and 
were  only  overcome  by  the  tact  of  Lord  Granville  and 
Lord  Cairns,  who  arrived  at  a  compromise.  The  day 
that  this  was  effected  Mr.  Gladstone  was  fairly  laid 
up,  and  I  had  to  communicate  the  result  to  the  Queen 
from  him  ;  but  I  was  unable  to  get  the  cipher,  which  I 
believe  Mr.  Hammond,  the  Under-Secretary  of  the  For- 
eign Office,  had  composed  himself  in  the  copy  of  a  dic- 
tionary, and  carried  about  in  his  pocket  all  day,  and  put 
under  his  pillow  at  night.  It  was  found  at  last,  and  the 
message  was  sent  to  her  Majesty,  saying  that  all  was  now 
arranged  and  that  the  measure  was  passed.  Mr.  Glad- 
stone was  not  well ;  but  the  great  work  of  the  session 

215 


RECOLLECTIONS  1868- 

was  accomplished,  and  he  was  experiencing  what  Will- 
iam Watson  describes  as 

"  Tlie  joy  of  most  glorious  striving 
Which  dicth  in  Victory." 

He  was  lying  down  on  his  sofa,  very  happy  and  very 
calm,  when  I  went  up  to  his  house.  lie  presented  me, 
as  a  recollection  of  the  day,  with  a  copy  of  his  Juventus 
Mundi,  which  had  just  been  published  ;  1  valued  it  as 
coming  from  him,  but  I  confess  I  have  never  read  it. 
He  went  down  to  Lord  Granville's,  and  wrote  to  me  from 
there  the  following  letter  : 

"Walmer  Castle,  Deal,  August  28,  1869. 
"My  dear  West, — I  have  been  rather  luiliappy  for  .some  time  at 
your  being  tied  to  tlie  desli  so  long,  and  1  rejoice  llial  tiie  period  of 
your  holiday  is  at  liand.  Do  not  shorten  it  on  my  account.  I  think 
it  will  be  October  before  any  thicliening  of  the  worlc  will  come  on ; 
and  Gurdon  is  efficient  and  rapid. 

"  Tliank  God  I  am  pretty  sound  again. 

"  I  must  not  conclude  witiioul  thanking  you  warmly  for  the  ex- 
ceeding kindness  of  your  note,  as  well  as  for  every  other  kindness. 

"  Ever  yours  sincerely, 

"  W.  E.  Gladstone." 

In  after  years  Mr.  (Gladstone  averred  that  the  Irish 
Church  Bill  was  the  cleanest  political  business  he  had 
ever  known.  There  was  no  pressure  brought  to  bear  on 
anybody. 

On  the  prorogation,  I  went  with  George  Glyn  to  High- 
gate,  where  he  had  rented  a  villa  belonging  to  Lady  Duf- 
ferin.  I  well  remember,  as  we  drove  away  from  Down- 
ing Street,  how  both  of  us,  almost  worn  out  with  the 
unceasing  work  of  the  session,  regretted  its  conclusion, 
and  thought  how  sadly  we  should  miss  the  constant  in- 
terest and  absorbing  excitement  that  each  day  brought. 

George  Glyn,  an  old  friend  of  mine,  was  what  was 
called    Patronage    Secretary    to    the   Treasury,   a  name 

216 


1869  GEORGE    GLYN 

■wliich  luid  lost  its  meaning,  and  chief  Wliip  ;  with  him  of 
course  I  was  brought  into  daily  communication.  When 
he  was  a  bo}'  at  Oxford  he  had  set  his  heart  on  three 
things — to  marry  his  beautiful  wife,  to  be  Whip  to  the 
Liberal  party,  and  to  be  Master  of  Hounds.  All  three 
wishes  were  fulfilled.  His  was  a  strange  character  ;  and 
he  possessed  in  almost  equal  proportions  the  qualifications 
which  a  whip  should  have  and  the  disqualifications  a 
whip  should  not  have.  Among  the  former  were  his 
energy,  his  fidelity,  and  not  only  his  fidelity  but  his 
blind  admiration  of  and  devotion  to  his  master,  his  en- 
tire absorption  in  his  work,  and  his  sharpness  and  ability. 
On  the  other  hand,  his  devotion  made  him  blind  and 
obstinate,  and  he  was  overbearing  to  those  who  even 
ventured  to  differ  from  anything  Mr.  Gladstone  thought 
right.  He  was,  perhaps,  tactless  and  apt  to  be  tyrannical, 
very  fidgety,  and  possessing  none  of  that  calm  which  en- 
ables a  man  to  weather  the  political  storm.  But  take 
him  all  in  all,  he  was  a  joyous  companion  and  a  sin- 
cere friend,  and  his  wife's  beauty  and  reposeful  yet  en- 
thusiastic temperament  compensated  for  many  of  his 
faults. 

We  took  advantage  of  our  holiday  and  went  to  Fin- 
castle,  in  the  island  of  Harris,  which  Lord  Eipon  had 
hired  from  Lord  Dunmore.  The  castle  was  not  finished, 
and  we  lived  in  the  offices  that  were  to  be,  and  enjoyed 
ourselves  immensely  in  a  life  and  a  country  quite  new 
to  us.  We  got  good  fishing  and  my  first  experience  of 
stalking,  and  were  amused  at  seeing  De  Grey's  wonder- 
ful precision  with  a  rifle.  One  evening,  coming  home 
through  the  forest  in  the  dusk,  we  caught  sight  of  a 
stag's  antlers  just  appearing  within  150  yards  of  us;  we 
stopped,  and  just  as  the  top  of  the  stag's  head,  above 
his  eyes,  came  over  the  near  horizon,  De  Grey  shot  him 
through  the  brain.    Another  day  he  and   Clare  Vyner 

217 


RECOLLECTIONS  1868- 

got  among  a  quantity  of  stags,  wliicli  somehow  became 
confused,  and  they  shot  eleven  between  tliem. 

The  river  tumbled  into  the  bay  just  by  the  house,  and 
often  on  our  return  from  fishing  we  used  to  throw  our 
flies  over  the  salmon  which  were  crowding  to  get  up  the 
fall,  witliout  any  success;  but  on  one  occasion  Douglas, 
who  had  been  fishing  near  home,  threw  a  fly  and  hooked 
a  salmon,  and  then  another  with  every  cast  he  threw,  till 
fifteen,  in  addition  to  three  he  had  caught  in  tlie  loch, 
were  lying  on  the  grass  to  astonish  and  exasperate,  on 
their  return,  those  who  had  been  stalking  or  fishing  else- 
where. After  that,  need  I  say  that  we  used  all  to  stand 
by  the  sea-wall,  like  boys  by  the  Serpentine,  casting  in- 
effectual flies  into  the  bay. 

Here  I  met  and  learned  to  ai)preciate  Henry  Austin 
Bruce;  a  more  delightful  companion  it  was  impossible 
to  know.  He  was  a  man  of  splendid  physique  and  an 
enthusiastic  fisherman.  As  we  strode  over  the  bare 
moors  of  the  Hebrides  to  the  lochs,  he  would  delight 
me  with  his  conversation  and  classical  quotations.  He 
was  then  Home  Secretary,  but  he  was  not  lucky  in  the 
choice  of  his  private  secretary,  a  brilliant  scholar  uo 
doubt,  but  singularly  devoid  of  that  tact  which  is  neces- 
sary in  dealing  with  men. 

The  unpopularity  of  the  secretary,  unfortunately,  was 
visited  on  his  chief,  who  was  himself  the  most  lovable  of 
men.  His  dearest  friend,  in  writing  to  me  about  him, 
says  :  "  Bruce's  character  was  in  some  respects  one  of  the 
finest  with  which  I  have  ever  been  acquainted  in  public 
life.  I  could  see  uo  self-seeking  in  him  anywhere.  He 
was  not  without  ambition,  and  he  liked  office;  but  he 
accepted  his  exclusion  when  it  came  without  a  mur- 
mur, and  without  a  disloyal  thought  towards  the  party  or 
the  chief  who  set  him  aside.  I  know  no  greater  test  of 
character  than  this.     The  fact  that  he  was  omitted  from 


1809  HENRY    AUSTIxX    BRUCE 

the  Cabinet  of  1880,  and  that  his  official  life  was  closed, 
seemed  to  make  no  difference  to  him  at  all.  He  was 
ready  ever  afterwards  to  take  any  public  work  that 
came  to  him,  and  to  do  it  with  all  his  old  earnestness 
and  zeal.  And  when  the  testing  time  came  in  1886,  and 
so  many  took  the  opportunity  of  venting  their  spite  for 
what  they  considered  past  want  of  appreciation  or  neglect, 
he  went  on  his  way  as  cahnly  and  as  faithfully  as  if  he 
had  never  been  a  member  of  a  Cabinet,  or  had  any  claim 
to  high  office ;  and  this  is  all  the  more  remarkable  be- 
cause the  bill  whose  failure  damaged  his  reputation,  and 
probably  led  to  his  exclusion,  would  now,  I  suppose,  be 
admitted  by  every  one  to  have  been  a  wise  measure  which 
would  have  placed  the  Licensing  question  on  a  sound 
footing  that  would  have  lasted  our  time,  at  all  events." 


CHAPTER  X 

1870 

Our  Thursday  Dinners  at  Downing  Street— Anecdote  of  Mr.  Glad- 
stone— Massacre  of  Englislimcn  by  Greek  Brigands — Death  of 
General  Grey  —  Instances  of  Mr.  Gladstone's  Absorption — 
Cockburu  and  Belhell — Death  of  Lord  Clarendon  :  Mr.  Ham- 
mond's Forecast — The  Education  Bill  :  Forster's  Speech — Mr. 
Gladstone's  Thoughts  of  Retirement— His  Criticism  of  Veterans 
— Death  of  My  Father  :  Mr.  Gladstone's  Letter — Holidays  at 
Walmer :  Lord  Granville's  Chef — Mr.  Gladstone  at  the  Play: 
His  Dislike  of  Scriptural  Allusions— Practical  Jokes  at  Walmer 
— Mr.  Gladstone  and  Tobacco — His  Tricks  of  Gesture  :  the  Dean 
of  Windsor's  Remonstrance  —  Sir  William  Gull  — Loss  of  The 
Captain  —  Death  of  My  Mother  —  Anecdote  of  Appleton,  tlie 
Office-Keeper  —  Visits  to  Ranston — Whyte  Melville  and  Bob 
Grimstou. 

After  a  few  visits  I  returned  early  to  my  work  iu 
Downing  Street, 'wiiicli  became  every  day  more  absorb- 
ing ;  and  when  the  session  began  we  instituted  Thurs- 
day dinners,  to  which  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gladstone  always 
came.  John  Bright,  Panizzi,  then  Head  of  the  British 
Museum,  Lord  and  Lady  Granville,  Wolverton,  Freder- 
ick Leveson-Gower,  Sir  lleginald  Welby,  Bobsy  Meade, 
and  others  often  dined  with  us,  and  Mr.  Gladstone  was 
always  at  his  best,  talking  with  an  animation  and  fluency 
peculiar  to  him,  on  all  that  was  going  on  in  the  House 
of  Commons,  and  his  old  recollections,  lie  once  told 
us  that  in  1849  he  was  crossing  the  Campagna  on  his 
way  to  Kome,  when  the  diligence  in  which  he  was  trav- 

220 


1870        DEATH    OF    GENERAL    GREY 

elliug  Ccame  to  a,  broad  and  shallow  stream.  The  driver 
made  all  the  passengers  alight,  saying  the  vehicle  could 
not  be  taken  across  unless  they  got  down,  and  having 
deposited  his  human  freight,  the  horses  were  whipped 
up  and  the  diligence  taken  to  the  other  side. 

Now  it  happened  that  although  there  was  a  full  com- 
plement of  passengers,  Mr.  Gladstone  was  the  only  man 
among  them,  the  other  travellers  being  the  wives  of 
French  officers  belonging  to  the  Army  of  Occupation  on 
their  way  to  join  their  husbands. 

The  task  of  taking  them  across  the  stream  thus  fell 
entirely  on  Mr.  Gladstone,  who,  equal  to  the  emergency, 
carried  them  to  the  other  side  one  by  one,  an  act  cour- 
teously acknowledged  by  the  husbands  on  the  following 
day,  who  all  called  to  thank  him  for  the  assistance  ren- 
dered. 

Lord  Charles  Eussell,  who  was  then  Sergeant-at-Arms, 
had  given  my  wife  a  seat  of  her  own  in  his  gallery,  and 
we  constantly  returned  after  dinner  to  the  House  and 
sat  out  the  debates. 

In  April,  1870,  when  staying  at  Latimer,  I  got  a  tele- 
gram telling  me  of  the  Greek  massacre,  by  brigands,  of 
poor  Freddy  Vyner,  Lady  Ripon's  brother.  The  party 
had  been  taken  by  surprise,  and  it  was  arranged  that 
one  of  them  should  return  and  procure  the  ransom. 
The  lot  had  fallen  on  him,  but  he  had  generously  waived 
it  in  favor  of  Lord  Muncaster,  who  was  a  married  man. 
The  brigands  had  made  it  a  condition  that  he  was  to 
return  alone,  but  the  Greek  government  sent  soldiers 
with  him,  at  sight  of  whom  the  brigands  fled,  first  mur- 
dering Freddy  Vyner  and  his  companion,  George  Herbert. 

I  received  a  sad  letter  from  Mr.  Gladstone  deploring 
the  disaster,  and  immediately  returned  to  town. 

Soon  after,  to  our  great  grief,  died  General  Grey. 
During  Lady  Caroline  Harrington's  long  absence  at  Court 

221 


RECOLLECTIONS  1870 

my  wife  luid  lived  in  liis  house  before  her  marringe,  and 
he  liad  been  not  only  an  uncle,  i)iil  llio  kindest  friend 
to  us  botb.  When  private  secretary  to  Sir  Charles  Wood 
at  tlie  India  OfHce,  I  had  always  found  bini  most  trust- 
ing and  open  in  all  matters,  and  tliey  were  many,  in 
which  I  had  been  brought  into  contact  with  him.  lie 
had  been  to  the  Queen  the  frankest  and  ablest  adviser, 
and  had  worked  Avith  a  never-flagging  energy  in  her  ser- 
vice. Somebody  at  his  deathbed  said,  "  Killed  by  over- 
work." *'No,"  said  Dr.  Gull,  ''that  is  very  commonly 
thoujiht  and  said,  but  for  one  man  that  dies  from  too 
much  work  ten  will  die  from  too  little." 

Last  year  Mr.  Gladstone  had  gone  with  Lord  Gran- 
ville and  George  Glyn  to  the  Derby,  and  this  year  we 
were  all  to  have  gone  again,  and  Lord  Granville  was  to 
drive  us  to  meet  his  horses  somewhere  on  the  route  and 
ride  to  Epsom  ;  but  at  the  last  moment  Mr.  Gladstone 
was  detained,  and  1,  of  course,  did  not  go.  lie  showed 
his  thought  and  consideration  for  me  by  writing  me  a 
letter  imploring  me  to  go  without  him,  but  I  did  not 
obey  him  in  this  instance. 

One  evening  Mr.  Gladstone  was  dining  with  us,  and 
was  very  indignant  at  the  proposal  that  the  government 
should  pay  the  costs  of  the  Overend  &  Gurney  trial ;  he 
rehearsed  almost  the  words  he  should  utter  on  the  sub- 
ject. 1  did  not  go  back  with  him  to  the  House,  but  was 
told  his  speech,  later  on  in  the  evening,  was  one  of  the 
most  brilliant  he  had  ever  delivered. 

It  was  on  one  of  his  hardest-worked  days  in  Downing 
Street,  during  the  discussion  on  Mr.  Gladstone's  Irish 
Land  Bill  in  1870,  that  he  was  anxious  to  see  Lord 
Dufferin  on  the  subject,  but  the  day  passed  without  his 
having  the  opportunity.  I  suggested  that  he  should 
dine  with  us,  and  that  I  should  get  Dufferin  to  meet 
him  ;  ho  readily  agreed,  and  I  warned  my  wife  that  we 

223 


1870         COCKBURN    AND    BETHELL 

should  Inive  a  really  agreeable  dinner,  and  that  she 
should  recollect  all  she  heard  on  what  was  the  most  in- 
teresting question  of  the  moment.  Mr.  Gladstone  was 
the  first  to  arrive,  and  then  Dulferin,  who  had  just  come 
from  Dublin,  told  us  of  the  horrid  crossing  he  had  had, 
and  how  everybody  was  sea-sick,  and  on  this  subject  the 
conversation  was  continued  throughout  the  whole  of  the 
dinner,  while  the  Land  Bill  was  never  mentioned. 

As  another  instance  of  Mr.  Gladstone's  absorption  in 
the  topic  of  the  moment,  I  may  mention  that  he  wrote 
to  the  solicitor  to  the  Newcastle  estates,  of  which  he 
was  trustee,  appointing  an  hour  for  their  meeting— fix- 
ing on  eleven  o'clock  as  his  only  spare  hour.  One  of 
the  trustees  arrived  a  little  before  the  time,  and  when 
the  solicitor  arrived  they  were  discussing  whether  the 
myth  of  Helen  of  Troy  could  be  connected  in  any  way 
with  the  history  of  the  Virgin  Mary.  The  discussion 
was  continued  till  twelve  o'clock,  when  Mr.  Gladstone 
had  to  go  to  another  appointment,  and  the  business  of 
the  Newcastle  Trust  had  to  be  postponed. 

This  reminds  me  of  a  story  I  heard  of  Sir  Alexander 
Cockburn  and  Bethell. 

Sir  Alexander  had  a  bill  on  which  it  was  necessary  to 
obtain  Bethell's  opinion — he  could  never  get  it.  At 
last  Bethell  asked  him  down  to  the  country  to  discuss 
it ;  the  evening  passed  and  no  allusion  was  made  to  the 
bill.  On  the  following  morning  they  went  out  shooting, 
and  Bethell  shot  his  keeper.  In  the  evening  Cockburn 
returned  to  town,  never  having  alluded  to  his  bill.  When 
taken  to  task  at  an  interview  with  Mr.  Gladstone  and 
the  Attorney  and  Solicitor  General,  Cockburn  stated 
that  he  had  never  had  an  opportunity  of  discussing  the 
subject  with  the  Attorney-General. 

"My  dear  Cockburn,"  said  Bethell,  in  his  softest 
voice,  "  do  you  not  recollect  our  thorough  discussion  of 

233 


RECOLLECTIONS  1870 

it  after  tliat  iinfortiuiatc  occasion  wlien  you  shot  my 
gamekeeper  ?" 

Oil  .lime  27th  of  this  year  died  Lord  Clarendon,  who 
had  been  always  most  kind  to  me.  He  was  a  man  of 
exquisite  wit,  unbounded  sympathy,  and  a  remarkable 
geniality,  and  wonderfully  agreeable  in  conversation. 
He  had  the  art,  above  all  men  I  ever  knew,  of  talking  as 
it  were  confidentially,  telling  you  everything  and  yet 
saying  very  little  ;  his  enemies,  who  were  ignorant  of 
this,  would  call  him  indiscreet. 

Lord  Granville  succeeded  him  as  Foreign  Secretary, 
and  was  told  by  Mr.  Hammond,  the  Under-Secretary,  a 
man  of  long  and  vast  experience,  that  the  world  had 
never  been  so  profoundly  at  peace  or  the  atmos])liere  so 
clear — in  short,  that  there  was  not  a  cloud  on  the  liorizon. 
Within  a  fortnight  the  Franco-Prussian  war  had  broken 
out,  and  in  less  than  a  month  the  battles  of  Saarbrtick, 
Weissenburg,  Worth,  and  Spicheren  had  been  fought, 
and  the  French  army  was  in  full  retreat. 

So  much  for  the  value  of  experience. 

The  session  was  much  occupied  by  the  Education  Bill ; 
and  I  recollect  being  in  the  House  of  Commons  when 
Mr.  Forster  made  his  speech,  which  was  not  oratorical, 
but  in  the  middle  of  it  he  mentioned  cases  of  poor  peo- 
ple, ignorant  and  in  want,  caring  nothing  for  their  theo- 
logical disputes,  and  yet  wishing  for  some  education  for 
their  cliildren,  in  so  touching  a  way  that  it  almost,  for 
the  moment,  upset  me. 

At  the  close  of  the  session  I  attended  a  committee, 
consisting  of  Mr.  Gladstone,  Lord  Bessborough,  and 
liord  Granville,  to  consider  the  bestowal  of  honors. 
Among  those  given  was  a  peerage  to  Mr.  G.  C.  Glyn, 
the  head  of  the  firm  of  Glyn-]\Iills  and  the  chairman  of 
the  North- Western  Kail  way  Company.  It  was  during 
his  chairmanship  that  Mr.  Smith,  a  small  stationer  in 

22i 


1870    MR.    GLADSTONE    ON    "NESTORS" 

the  Strand,  proposed  to  start  stalls  for  the  sale  of  books 
and  newspapers  at  the  stations  on  his  line.  Mr.  Glyu 
acquiesced,  and  the  result  was  that  the  great  firm  of 
W.  H.  Smith  was  established  from  this  small  beginning. 

In  the  autumn  the  Fenian  troubles  w^ere  great,  and 
O'Donovan  Eossa  was  returned  to  Parliament.  Mr. 
Gladstone  thought  there  was  a  favorable  side  to  his  elec- 
tion— '^  the  Fenians  thinking  it  worth  while  to  lay  hold 
on  the  forms  of  the  Constitution  is  a  step  forward,  not 
backward ;  whether  it  can  be  allowed  to  stand  is  quite 
another  question." 

All  through  this  hot  year  Mr.  Gladstone  had  toiled 
unremittingly,  always  looking  forward  to  his  coming 
retirement.  One  morning,  at  the  close  of  a  peculiarly 
harassing  debate,  we  walked  home  together  in  the  dawn- 
ing day,  and  on  parting  at  the  foot  of  the  Duke  of  York's 
steps,  weary  as  he  was,  he  said  :  "Well,  my  work  is  now 
nearly  over.  If  I  can  pass  Irish  Education  and  find  a 
fitting  place  for  you  in  the  Civil  Service,  I  shall  have 
done  all  I  wish  to  do  and  be  able  to  retire." 

It  is  curious  that  Mr.  Gladstone,  who,  from  the  force 
of  circumstances,  began  his  fourth  administration  when 
he  was  over  eighty  years  of  age,  should,  so  far  back  as 
1870,  have  expressed  to  me,  in  language  almost  violent, 
his  aversion  to  old  men  lingering  on  the  stage  when  the 
activity  of  their  youthful  energies  had  begun  to  decline. 

In  that  year  it  was  my  duty  to  bring  under  his  notice 
the  name  of  a  very  distinguished  soldier  in  connection 
with  some  honor. 

"  I  suppose,"  he  said,  turning  to  me  with  that  look, 
Avhich  we  learned  so  well  to  know,  of  indignant  surprise, 
"  seniority  is  his  claim :  simply  because  he  is  old.  In 
ancient  days  old  men  were  put  aside  to  make  room  for 
the  young." 

I  haltingly  ventured  to  suggest  as  a  reminiscence  of 
P  325 


RECOLLECTIONS  1870 

an  imperfect  and  wasted  Eton  education  the  name  of 
Nestor. 

"Nestor/'  he  answered,  ''took  no  part  in  the  active 
warfare  of  life ;  he  merely  came  on  the  scene  as  an  ad- 
viser when  he  was  wanted." 

That  these  were  his  real  sentiments  at  the  time  there 
can  be  no  manner  of  doubt. 

In  August  of  this  year  my  father,  whose  faculties  had 
lately  become  dimmed,  literally  "fell  asleep"  with  his 
hand  holding  my  dear  mother's. 

He  was  buried  in  Chiswick  church-yard  on  the  fiftieth 
anniversary  of  his  marriage — buried  where,  as  a  boy  at 
school,  he  had  first  met  my  mother,  then  a  girl,  staying 
Avith  her  relations,  the  Misses  Walpole,  in  Chiswick.  I 
make  no  excuse  for  reproducing  the  letter  of  condolence 
which  I  received  from  Mr.  Gladstone : 

"  My  dear  West, — Such  a  combination  of  the  course  of  life  and 
its  ending  as  you  describe  seems  to  disarm  the  last  Enemy  of  bis 
sting,  or  rather  to  testify  how  he  has  been  disarmed  on  our  behalf 
by  One  greater  than  ourselves.  I  sincerely  liopc  that  you  may 
never  stand  by  a  deathbed  with  less  of  consolation. 

"  Work  seems  to  slacken  in  Downing  Street,  and  I  am  sure  there 
will  be  no  difficulty,  from  what  Gurdon  says,  in  your  giving  your- 
self now  some  of  the  rest  you  have  so  well  earned. 

"Ever  sincerely  yours, 

"W.  E.  Gladstone." 

In  the  later  autumn  we  spent  a  delightful  long  holiday 
with  our  boys  at  Walmer — riding,  playing  croquet,  and 
doing  some  work.  On  my  telling  them  that  Mr.  Meade 
was  coming  one  evening,  they  said,  "Oh,  we  know  all 
about  him;  he  is  the  man  that  drives  the  water-carts  on 
the  Horse  Guards  Parade  !" 

One  day  Mr.  Gladstone  and  I  were  walking  on  the 
beach  when  we  saw  a  shoal  of  mackerel,  and  we  help- 
ed to  drag  in  the  net,  which  soon  surrounded  them,  in 

226 


1870         LORD    GRANVILLE'S    CHEF 

gratitude  for  which  the  fishermen  gave  Mr.  Gladstone 
three  mackerel. 

Our  host,  Lord  Granville,  had  a  famous  cook,  whom 
he  asked  during  the  siege  of  Paris  whether  he  would  not 
like  to  return  to  his  country.  ''No,"  he  wittily  an- 
swered ;  "I  would  sooner  make  entrees  here  than  sorties 
in  Paris.'' 

But  even  the  best  of  cooks  cannot  prevail  against  fash- 
ion. Everybody  gave  credit  to  Lord  Granville  for  an 
excellent  cuisine,  and  rather  depreciated  that  of  Mr. 
Gladstone.  After  a  dinner  there,  some  one  came  to 
Lord  Granville's  saying:  "How  different  from  yours, 
which  was  excellent,  and  this  so  bad."  "I  am  sorry," 
said  Lord  Granville,  "for  this  one  was  cooked  by  my 
che/r 

Late  in  the  autumn  of  1870  events  connected  with  the 
Franco-German  war  kept  Mr,  Gladstone  and  Lord  Gran- 
ville almost  constantly  in  London. 

Mr.  Gladstone's  establishment  in  Carlton  House  Ter- 
race Av^s  one  of  the  simplest,  and  on  my  asking  the  boy, 
who  represented  the  butler,  whether  Mr.  Gladstone  was 
alone,  he  said  he  was,  but  that  there  was  a  gentleman, 
who  had  given  the  name  of  Burnstorff,  sitting  in  the  hall. 
Now  Count  Bernstorff  was  at  that  time  the  German  Am- 
bassador. 

Mr.  Gladstone  used  constantly  in  those  days  to  dine 
with  Mr.  James  Stuart-Wortley,  meeting  there  Count 
Streletzky^  Sir  Francis  Doyle,  and  Sir  David  Dundas, 
and  he  often  would  dine  with  us,  Lord  Granville  and  his 
secretary,  Bobsy  Meade  ;  and  we  Avent  together  to  the 
play. 

Irving  was  acting  in  the  "  Two  Roses,"  in  which  some 
scriptural  allusions  occurred  which  very  much  disturbed 
Mr.  Gladstone,  so  much  so  that  he  wrote  to  me  the  next 
morning  with  a  suggestion  that  I  should  get  the  Press 

227 


RECOLLECTIONS  1870 

to  discountenance  such  allusions  on  the  stage,  and  add- 
ing that,  as  he  was  in  a  "grumbling  vein,''  he  wished 
something  could  be  done  to  mitigate  the  noise  and  vul- 
garity of  a  Lord  Mayor's  dinner. 

He  accompanied  me  to  have  tea  with  my  brother  Rich- 
ard at  St.  Mary  Magdalene's  in  Paddington,  one  Sunday 
evening,  and  afterwards  attended  the  service,  where  he 
was  deejily  impressed  with  the  mighty  work  my  brother 
had  accomplished  there,  all  in  one  short,  vigorous  life- 
time. To  few  men  has  it  been  given  to  have  begun  and 
completed  so  gigantic  a  task  before  the  night  came. 

Directly  we  could  get  away  we  returned  to  Walmer, 
and  on  one  lovely  day  Lord  Granville  was  summoned  to 
the  Foreign  Ofiice,  leaving  with  me  the  cipher  in  case 
anything  of  importance  should  arrive. 

We  were  playing  croquet  in  the  afternoon,  when  a  long 
telegram  in  cipher  was  put  in  my  hands,  and  when  Lady 
Granville  and  I  began  to  translate  it,  we  soon  found  it 
was  full  of  chaff  and  nonsense,  so  we  answered  it  in  the 
same  vein.  Lord  Granville  arrived  in  time  for  dinner, 
not  having  received  our  reply.  I  was  in  terror  lest  our 
telegram  should  fall  into  the  hands  of  Mr.  Hammond, 
the  Under-Secretary,  who  would  consider  any  unau- 
thorized use  of  the  sacred  cipher  not  less  serious  than 
the  violation  of  the  Ark.  I  set  myself,  however,  to  write 
a  letter  to  Lord  Granville,  purporting  to  be  Hammond's 
indignant  remoiistrance  on  opening  the  telegram,  which 
he  read  out  to  Lady  Granville;  and  so  in  tliose  happy 
days  we  amused  ourselves  by  jokes  which  pass  in  the  hour. 

As  we  were  walking  on  the  ramparts  one  evening  after 
dinner  we  persuaded  Mr.  Gladstone  to  smoke  a  ciga- 
rette, but  it  was  a  terrible  failure.  Tobacco  to  him  was 
an  abomination. 

Only  once  again  did  he  attempt  it,  and  this  was  an 
instance  of  his  courtesy :  for  when  the  Prince  of  Wales 

238 


1870         MR.    GLADSTONE'S    TRICKS 

was  dining  with  him  and  wished  to  smoke,  he  placed  the 
Prince  at  his  ease  by,  at  any  rate,  lighting  a  cigarette. 

From  the  time  when  a  boy  at  Eton  he  persuaded  a 
friend  to  throw  away  the  accursed  weed  to  the  last  days 
of  his  life  he  had  a  horror  of  it.  In  later  years  he  ac- 
cused me  of  smelling  strongly  of  tobacco.  "I  don't 
wonder,"  I  said,  *'for  I  have  been  sitting  for  half  an 
hour  in  Sir  William  Harconrt's  room."  "  Does  Har- 
court  smoke  ?"  he  asked,  in  a  voice  of  horror;  ''if  so, 
he  must  be  very  careful  always  to  change  his  clothes  be- 
fore he  comes  to  me  ?" 

If  I  recollect  right.  Vanity  Fair  had  recently  appeared 
with  a  caricature  of  Lord  Granville  standing  at  the  table 
of  the  House  of  Lords  with  his  hands  joined  as  in  prayer 
— a  very  common  attitude  of  his,  of  which  he  said  he 
was  unaware.  We  then  found  that  Mr.  Cardwell,  who 
was  there,  was  equally  unaware  that  in  speaking  he  had 
a  constant  habit  of  walking  one  step  up  to  the  box  on 
the  table  and  then  walking  one  step  back  ;  and  that  Mr. 
Gladstone  did  not  know  of  his  constant  habit,  in  im- 
passioned moments,  of  scratching  the  back  of  his  head 
with  the  back  of  his  right  thumb  before  bringing  his 
hand  down  with  a  thump  on  the  papers  on  the  table  be- 
fore him.  He  got  so  much  into  the  practice  of  thump- 
ing the  table  that  I  was  asked  to  speak  to  him  of  it.  To 
speak  to  a  man  of  a  trick  he  has  acquired  is  a  task  one 
gladly  shuffles  off  onto  somebody  else's  shoulders ;  so,  on 
the  occasion  of  a  Sunday  visit,  I  spoke  to  the  Dean  of 
Windsor  on  the  subject — as  one  of  his  oldest  and  best 
friends.  He  at  once  undertook  the  thankless  office,  and 
Mr.  Gladstone  abandoned  the  habit.  A  few  Sundays 
after,  I  was  again  at  the  Windsor  Deanery,  and  thanked 
the  dean  for  the  hint  which  had  borne  such  good  fruit. 
He  threw  his  hands  up  and  said,  "I  entirely  forgot  all 
about  it !" 

229 


RECOLLECTIONS  1870 

Coming  away  from  AValmer  with  Frederick  Leveson- 
Gower,  we  found  in  the  train  at  Deal  Sir  William  Gull, 
with  wliom  we  conversed.  He  told  me  what  in  my  igno- 
rance I  had  never  known  before  :  that  all  animals  that 
chew  the  cud  rise  on  tlieir  hind-legs  first,  while  all  otlier 
animals  rise  first  on  their  fore-legs.  We  then  talked  of 
the  Siamese  twins,  and  I  wondered  why  they  had  not 
been  allowed  to  die  at  their  birth  ;  from  that  I  asked 
why  people's  lives  which  arc  only  made  up  of  suffering 
should  be  prolonged.  Sir  William  said  the  line  of  medi- 
cal men  could  never  be  drawn  anywhere  if  it  were  not 
laid  down  that  tlieir  absolute  duty  was  always  to  save  life. 

Sir  William  Gull  told  me  Lord  IJeaconsfield  complained 
of  always  feeling  ill  at  llughenden  after  the  session,  and 
explained  how  it  was  the  penalty  of  all  hard  -  working 
men  to  be  unwell  when  the  strain  of  work  abated — it  was 
not  peculiar  to  Lord  Beaconsfield. 

In  September,  Lord  Northbrook  was  paying  us  a  visit 
at  Hill  House,  and  amused  our  boys  by  drawing  for  them 
little  j)encil  sketches  of  the  turrets  in  the  new  ship  The 
Captain,  in  which  his  second  boy  was  a  middy.  On  the 
following  morning  we  went  up  to  London  together,  and 
to  my  sorrow,  just  after  I  had  parted  from  him,  I  heard 
the  terrible  news  of  her  total  loss  in  the  Bay  of  Biscay. 
I  went  to  verify  it  at  the  Admiralty,  and  there  heard 
that  the  news  was  true,  and  liad  already  been  communi- 
cated to  poor  Xorthbrook. 

In  December  of  this  year,  on  returning  from  dinner  at 
the  Somertons^  we  found  my  mother's  servant  had  come 
to  tell  me  how  ill  she  was ;  but,  thank  God,  she  did  not 
suffer,  but  died,  as  she  had  wished,  a  very  sudden  death. 
Thank  God,  too,  that  I  had  been  to  see  her  that  morn- 
ing ;  it  was  pouring  rain,  and  she  stood  at  the  window, 
as  she  always  did,  and  said  :  "  How  good  of  you  to  come 
on  such  a  day  1' 

230 


1870       LETTERS    FROM    GLADSTONE 

She  had  borne  my  father's  loss  quietly,  but  felt  it 
deeply.  She  said  once  to  me  :  "You  cannot  think  what 
a  blank  it  is  having  no  one  to  tell  everything  to."  I  was 
so  often  reminded  of  the  touching,  quaint  old  epitaph: 

"He  first  deceased,  she  for  a  little  tried 
To  live  without  him,  liked  it  not,  and  died." 

She  was  buried  also  at  Chiswick — the  best  woman  and 
the  dearest  mother  that  ever  lived.  I  hope  my  children 
may  recollect  her,  and  her  and  my  father's  love  for  and 
kindness  to  them  all. 

My  visit  to  Hawarden  was  put  off,  and  Mr.  Gladstone 
wrote  : 

"Hawarden  Castle,  Chester,  December  8,  1870. 

"My  dear  West, — There  is  something  most  touching,  but  also 
most  soothing,  in  your  mother's  early  departure  to  reunite  a  severed 
existence.  I  understand  your  grief,  but  I  feel  that  the  stroke  has 
been  made  light  and  gentle. 

"Gurdou  would  like  to  save  you  from  any  necessity  of  seeing 
people  by  going  up  :  but  pray  do  as  j'ou  think  best.  I  am  sure  his 
wish  to  join  you  is  on  this  ground  alone. 

"We  are  very  sorry  that  your  visit  here  should  drop.  Pray  con- 
sider whether  you  would  let  it  come  somewhat  later. 

"  Glyn's  uncertain  health  is  also  a  subject  of  great  regret. 

"Yours  sincerely, 

"W.  E.  Gladstone." 

A  clerkship  at  the  table  of  the  House  of  Commons 
falling  vacant  at  this  time,  and  Sir  Erskine  May  having 
said  he  would  like  to  have  me  there,  the  Speaker  con- 
sulted Mr.  Gladstone,  who  wrote  the  following  letter  : 

"10  Downing  Street,  Whitehall,  December  16,  1870. 

"  My  dear  Mr.  Speaker,  —What  I  wished  to  say  last  night,  had 

time  permitted,  involves  no  disparagement  to  Mr.  and  will 

cause  you  no  difficulty,  nor  should  I  have  said  it  at  all,  had  not  your 
note  given  me  so  much  invitation  as  almost  to  make  it  my  duty  not 
to  withhold  from  your  knowledge  the  name  of  any  one  whom  I 

231 


RECOLLECTIONS  1870 

might  consider  to  l)o  eminently  fit.  Such  a  persoa,  I  am  inclined  to 
tliiiik,  you  Avould  find  in  Mr.  Algernon  West,  one  of  my  jirivate 
secretaries.  That  I  have  no  very  sellish  motive  in  naming  him, 
you  will  readily  believe.  To  take  him  from  me  would  be  like  cut- 
ting off  a  hand.  lie  entered  tlie  public  service  in  1851  ;  and  he  lias 
since  had  a  large  and  varied  experience  in  important  inivate  secre- 
taryships.    Halifax  would  tell  you  much  about  him.     You  will 

judge  of  the  advantage  possessed  by  Mr.   in  Parlianientury 

knowledge.  I  do  not  know  him;  and  it  is  not  invidious  if  I  s;iy  of 
\Yesi  that,  apart  from  position  and  direct  experience  within  the 
establishment,  I  think  liis  qualifications  in  all  respects  to  be  of  a 
very  high  order.  Especially  I  think  he  would  excel  almost  all  men 
in  making  the  table  acceptable  by  tact  and  by  unwearied  kindness. 
You  will,  however,  I  hope,  consider  this  note  not  as  a  request,  but 
as  testimony.  At  least,  if  it  be  a  request  at  all,  it  is  only  a  request 
that,  should  you  still  be  free,  you  will  make  West's  qualifications  a 

matter  of  inquiry. 

"  W.  E.  Gladstone. 

"  P.S. — You  may  wonder  that  I  did  not  name  Mr.  West  at  once, 

but  I  was  under  the  impression  that  Mr. had  more  of  a  vested 

right  from  standing  than  appeared,  when  1  looked  to  the  list,  to  be 
the  case." 

To  my  recollections  of  these  times  I  may  udd  an  anec- 
dote of  an  ofllice-kcciier  in  Downing  Street — by  name, 
Appleton — who  had  served  I  do  not  know  how  many 
Prime  Ministers,  and  always  nsed  the  old  expression — 
meaning  constantly — "  times  and  frequent." 

He  was  very  careful  of  us;  and  one  day  Sir  George 
Campbell,  who,  as  many  members  of  the  House  of  Com- 
mons recollect,  had  a  very  strident,  loud,  rasping  voice, 
called  on  me  to  talk  over  the  Land  question,  on  which 
he  was  a  great  authority.  After  he  had  been  in  conver- 
sation about  three  minutes,  Apjileton  appeared  produc- 
ing a  card  of  an  ^[.P.  who,  he  said,  was  very  anxious  to 
see  me.  I  said  1  was  sorry  to  be  engaged.  Jn  another 
minute  he  appeared  with  a  card  of  a  well-known  peer, 
who  was  most  anxious  to  have  a  word  with  me.    Again  I 

232 


1870  WHYTE    MELVILLE 

said  I  was  too  busy  to  see  him  just  then.  In  another 
minute  he  again  came  in  with  a  huge  card  saying  the 
Lord  Mayor  and  Sheriffs  of  London  wanted  to  speak 
to  me  very  urgently  in  the  next  room.  I  apologized  to 
Sir  George,  and  went  out  to  such  great  dignitaries. 
When  I  got  out  of  the  room,  Appleton  said  to  me; 
"There  ain't  nobody  here,  sir,  but  I  was  afraid  a  mad- 
man had  been  shown  into  you  by  mistake,  and  I  wanted 
to  warn  you  !" 

Eanston,  in  Dorsetshire,  was  rented  by  Wolverton,  and 
there  we  had  many  a  happy  visit,  hunting  occasionally 
Avith  the  Blackmoor  Vale  Hounds,  and  oftener  with  Lord 
Portman's  in  a  far  easier  country.  Willie  Portman  hunted 
them  from  Durweston,  and  provided  horses  for  my  wife, 
who  delighted  in  these  happy  days.  Whyte  Melville  was 
constantly  there,  and  charmed  us  with  his  cheery  talk. 
He  was  one  of  those  delightful  men  Avho  always  studied 
to  make  people  happy  and  self-satisfied.  Many  a  time, 
both  there  and  when  lie  met  me  with  Baron  Rothschild's 
and  Selby  Lowndes'  hounds,  would  he  say  a  kind  word 
about  my  riding  and  my  hands  and  seat,  which  though 
undeserved,  yet  coming  from  him  gave  infinite  satis- 
faction. 

One  evening  he  devoted  himself  to  the  curate's  wife  to 
such  an  extent  that  Wolverton  remonstrated  "What 
have  I  done?"  said  he.  "It  amused  her,  and  kept  my 
hand  in." 

Discussing  his  books,  he  told  us  how  his  publishers 
had  hinted  to  him  that  in  each  of  them  he  was  saying 
the  same  thing  over  again  in  different  language ,  but 
that  he  now  had  reached  the  time  when  he  had  got  to 
telling  the  same  thing  in  the  same  words. 

He  had  a  curious  habit  of  always  lighting  a  strong 
cigar,  which  he  called  a  "roofer,"  directly  he  heard 
hounds  giving  tongue  in  covert.     I  asked  him  why. 

233 


RECOLLECTIONS  1870 

**  Partly,"  he  said,  ^'because  I  really  like  it,  and  partly 
because  it  looks  as  if  I  Avas  not  in  a  funk,  which  I  really 
am." 

I  often  met  with  him  his  great  friend.  Bob  Grimston,  in 
his  broud-brinimed  hat,  with  rosettes  tied  round  his  ears 
to  keep  ihem  warm.  He  was  a  rabid  Tory.  Hunting  one 
day  witli  the  baron,  when  he  was  chairman  of  W.  H. 
Smith's  committee  in  the  "Westminster  election,  he  said 
if  he  was  beaten  he  would  blow  his  brains  out.  And 
who  knows  whether  that  dogged  old  Tory  would  not 
have  been  as  good  as  his  word  ? 

About  this  time  1  used  occasionally  to  meet  that  fa- 
mous horsewoman  Mrs.  Jack  Villicrs,  who  so  fearlessly 
followed  Jem  Mason  over  the  strongly  fenced  jjastures  of 
the  Aylesbury  Yale. 

Before  the  year  was  over,  Mr.  Lowe,  then  Chancellor 
of  the  Exchequer,  offered  me  the  post  of  Treasury  Re- 
membrancer in  Dublin,  which  I  refused,  though  I  was 
flattered  by  his  thought  of  me. 


CHAPTER  XI 

1871-1873 

Proposal  to  Enter  Parliament  for  Coventry  on  Sir  Henry  Bulwer's 
Elevation  to  the  Peerage — Dinner  at  Edward  Levy's— Sir  Henry 
James's  Quotation — Episodes  of  the  Session— Visits  to  Nocton 
and  Somerley— iily  Last  Shooliug-party — Tom  Price's  Appetite 
— The  Prince  of  Wales's  Illness  —  Sir  William  Bovill  and  the 
Forged  Letter  — Farewell  Dinner  to  Lord  Northbrook  —  Lord 
Dufferiu's  Appointment  as  Canadian  Viceroy  —  Mrs.  Norton — 
Disraeli  and  Mr.  Brand — A  Historic  Chess-board— Sir  John  Rose 
and  his  Wife— Hooker  and  Ayrlon — The  "Collier  Scandal"— 
Advantages  of  a  Cabinet  of  Private  Secretaries — My  Appoint- 
ment as  Commissioner  of  Inland  Revenue  —  Regret  at  Leav- 
ing Mr.  Gladstone — His  Appreciation — Tribute  of  the  Times — 
Proposed  History  of  the  1868  Government  — Mr.  Gladstone's 
Advice. 

Iif  1871  Sir  Henry  Bnlwer,  the  younger  brother  of 
Lord  Lytton,  was  raised  to  the  Peerage  as  Lord  Bailing, 
and  consequently  vacated  his  seat  in  the  House  of  Com- 
mons. 

I  was  talking  to  Mr.  Gladstone  at  that  time  as  to  who 
would  follow  George  Glyn  as  Whip  when  he  succeeded 
to  his  father's  title.  Shortly  afterwards,  when  I  had  re- 
turned to  Downing  Street,  George  came  and  proposed  to 
me,  from  Mr.  Gladstone,  that  I  should  go  into  Parliament 
for  Coventry,  which  Sir  Henry  Bnlwer  would  vacate,  and 
succeed  liim  as  AVhip.  It  did  not  take  me  a  moment  to 
see  and  say  how  the  res  angusta  domi  would  make  such 
an  idea  impossible ;  but  it  took  many  moments  and  many 

235 


RECOLLECTIONS  1871- 

days  to  put  out  of  my  head  a  proposal  which,  had  it  been 
jiracticable,  would  have  given  me  and  my  wife  the  great- 
est pleasure — for  Parliament  then  represented  the  height 
of  my  ambition. 

On  May  6th  I  dined  at  an  interesting  literary  dinner 
at  Edward  Levy's,  who  was  the  proprietor  of  the  Daihj 
Telegraph.  Among  the  guests  were  two  men  whom  I 
was  very  glad  to  see  —  Sir  Edward  Bulwer  Lytton  and 
Wilkie  Collins.  Sir  Henry  James,  who  had  not  been 
very  long  in  Parliament,  was  also  there.  On  the  pre- 
vious Wednesday  he  had  made  an  excellent  speech  on 
the  question  of  female  suffrage,  in  which  he  had  told 
Mr.  Gladstone,  who  I  suppose  he  thought  was  coquetting 
with  the  subject,  that  fame  had  no  present  and  popular- 
ity no  future.  Henry  Calcraft  was  there,  who  did  not 
know  who  Sir  Henry  James  was,  and  in  spite  of  my  kicks 
under  the  table,  found  fault  with  the  speech,  saying  that 
the  speaker  had  cribbed  a  quotation  from  Southey  and 
pretended  it  was  his  own.  This  was  more  thaii  Sir  Henry 
James  could  bear,  and  he  told  us,  to  Henry  Oalcraft's 
surprise,  that  he  had  not  attempted  to  pass  the  quota- 
tion as  his  own,  but  had  stated  it  was  Southey's.  He 
was  very  good-natured,  however,  about  it,  and  we  all 
parted  the  best  of  friends. 

It  had  not  been  a  happy  session.  Abolition  of  pur- 
chase in  the  Army,  good  in  itself,  had  been  carried  by 
the  very  high-handed  proceeding  of  a  Royal  Warrant. 
Mr.  Lowe's  Budget,  which  had  great  merits,  had  to  be 
withdrawn.  Nothing  could  be  more  astute  than  the 
means  adopted  to  insure  the  defeat  of  his  match  tax. 
All  the  girls  employed  in  the  business  were  summarily 
dismissed  from  their  employment,  and  were,  by  the 
manufacturers,  put  into  vans,  which  formed  a  proces- 
sion on  the  Embankment.  People  were  always  ready, 
without  inquiry  into  facts,  to  take  the  sentimental  view 

236 


18V2  TOM    PRICE 

of  the  question,  and  the  tax  was  abandoned ;  indeed,  it 
might  be  said  that  the  Budget  was  Avithdrawn,  and  witli 
it  Mr.  Brace's  admirable  Licensing  Bill,  which  succeed- 
ing generations  have  had  bitter  cause  to  regret. 

We  were  interested  and  amused  by  the  progress  of  the 
Tichborne  trial,  the  Franco-German  war  was  perpetually 
before  us,  and  the  cowardly  horrors  of  the  Commune 
were  in  full  blast. 

M.  Thierg  visited  London  and  had  an  interview  with 
Lord  Granville,  Avho  after  a  time  was  struck  by  the  abso- 
lute silence  with  which  he  received  his  remarks;  but  he 
found  that,  overcome  with  the  fatigues  of  his  journey, 
the  old  diplomatist  was  wrapped  in  a  deep  slumber,  from 
which  he  was  only  awakened  by  a  not  altogether  unin- 
tentional fall  of  the  fire-irons. 

It  was  at  Nocton,  in  the  early  seventies,  where  for  the 
last  time  I  took  part  in  a  great  hattue.  After  dinner  the 
head  of  game  shot  by  each  gun  was  brought  into  the 
dining-room.  I  hung  my  head  as  the  numbers  were  read 
out,  and  determined  never  to  shoot  again.  My  case  was 
not  unlike  what  happened  to  Mr.  Frank  Sneyd,  who  was 
not  very  successful  at  pheasant-shooting,  when  he  heard 
the  head-keeper  shouting  out  to  his  various  subordinates  : 
"No  hens  to  be  shot  in  these  spinneys.  You  need  not 
tell  Mr.  Sneyd."  That,  I  believe,  was  his  last  day's  shoot- 
ing; and  for  reasons  equally  obvious  I  gave  up  the  noble 
sport. 

At  Somerley  we  used  constantly  to  meet  Tom  Price,  a 
great  friend  of  the  Barrington  family,  a  fine  rider,  and 
very  greedy. 

One  day,  eating  a  good  dinner,  he  said :  "  This  is  my 
idea  of  heaven."  "Yes,"  said  a  neighbor;  "such  a  din- 
ner as  this,  without  money  and  without  price  !" 

He  always  reminded  me  of  the  greedy  man  who,  com- 
ing down-stairs  in  the  morning  before  breakfast,  said, 

237 


RECOLLECTIONS  1871- 

"  Food  has  not  passed  my  lips  since  last  night,  and  to- 
morrow will  be  the  third  day."  But  he  had  many  good 
qualities. 

It  was  in  December,  1871,  that  the  Prince  of  Wales  was 
seized  with  a  severe  attack  of  typhoid  fever,  and  his 
death  was  expected  from  day  to  day.  Mr.  Gladstone  was 
summoned  to  London,  and  I  came  up  from  Somerley, 
where  I  was  staying,  to  meet  him  in  the  dull,  dark  days 
of  a  London  winter.  We  anxiously  waited  for  news, 
every  moment  expecting  the  Prince's  death.  He,  how- 
ever, happily  recovered,  and  early  in  1872  there  was  a 
great  ceremony  of  thanksgiving  in  St.  Paul's  Cathedral, 
where,  as  Gentleman  Lusher  of  the  Privy  Chamber,  I  had 
to  receive  the  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Commons  at  the 
door  and  take  him  to  his  seat.  I  then  stood  by  him  and 
Mr.  Gladstone,  just  in  front  of  the  royal  pew. 

The  celebrated  Tichborne  case  was  proceeding  in  Janu- 
ary, 1872,  when  Sir  William  Bovill,  Chief  Justice  of  the 
Common  Pleas,  in  whose  court  it  was  being  tried,  wrote 
to  me  as  follows  : 

Skssioss  House,  Westminster,  Tanuai-y  15,  1872. 
"  Dear  Sir, — The  inclosed  letter  has  every  indication  of  being 
genuine,  but  before  taking  any  notice  of  it  I  shall  be  glad  to  know 
from  you  by  my  messenger  whether  it  is  a  genuine  letter  and  bears 
your  actual  signature. 

"  Yours  faithfully, 

"  \Vm.  Bovill. 
"Algernon  West,  Esq., 

Secretary  to  the  Right  Hon.  W.  E.  Gladstone." 

"10  Dowsing  Street,  January  13,  1872. 
"  Sir, — I  this  morning  received  directions  from  Mr.  Gladstone, 
who  is  at  present  out  of  town,  to  conmiunicate  with  you  in  refer- 
ence to  the  protracted  trial  over  which  you  preside.     Mr.  Gladstone 
says  : 

"  '  In  common  with  several  of  my  colleagues,  with  whom  I  spoke 
on  the  subject  when  last  in  town,  I  have  regarded  with  painful 
feelings  the  course  of  proceeding  in  the  (Tichborne)  case.     The  ad- 

238 


1872  A    FORGED    LETTER 

ministration  of  justice  is  a  matter  of  great  and  common  concern, 
and  the  process  of  obtaining  justice  ought  to  be  cheap,  easy,  and 
effectual.  Here  the  latter  is  so  much  the  reverse  that  not  only  may 
a  public  scandal  be  caused  at  home,  but  we  cannot  fail  to  become  a 
bye-word  to  all  civilized  nations.' 

"Mr.  Gladstone  adds  that  he  is  aware  you  are  not  in  any  sense 
responsible  for  a  state  of  things  which  is  a  blot  upon  our  civil  juris- 
prudence, but  he  thinks  that  an  early  and  public  expression  of  your 
and  perhaps  his  opinion,  from  the  high  position  you  occupy,  would 
tend  to  remedy  a  state  of  things  which  threatens  to  result  in  a  vir- 
tual denial  of  justice ;  and  that  the  resumption  of  the  trial  would 
be  a  not  unfitting  opportunity  for  this  expression  of  opinion. 

"  I  am  to  add  that  ]Mr.  Gladstone  would  himself  have  written 
■were  he  in  town,  as  he  desires  this  letter  to  be  considered  official. 
"  1  have  the  honor  to  remain,  Sir, 

"  Your  very  obedient  servant, 

"  Algernon  West. 

"  The  Lord  Chief  Justice  Bovill." 

I  went  down  to  Westminster  Sessions  House,  and  found 
that  on  the  receipt  of  this  very  obvious  forgery  Sir  Will- 
iam had  summoned  all  the  judges  within  reach,  to  con- 
sult on  this  unprecedented  interference  with  the  judicial 
bench.  One  of  the  learned  judges,  however,  wiser  than 
his  fellows,  suggested  that  it  might  possibly  be  better  to 
inquire  if  the  letter  was  really  authentic  before  consider- 
ing the  grave  constitutional  question.  Of  course  I  said 
it  was  a  forgery  ;  but  I  was  never  able  to  discover  its 
author,  or  how  he  succeeded  in  obtaining  the  Treasury 
official  note-paper  on  which  the  letter  was  written.  It 
was  of  Sir  William  that  Sergeant  Ballantine  is  reported 
to  have  said  that  ''with  a  little  more  experience  Bovill 
would  be  the  worst  judge  on  the  bench." 

In  March  General  Ashburnham,  a  great  friend  of  ours, 
whom  we  constantly  met  at  Frognal,  died. 

I  was  anxious  to  get  something  at  the  sale  of  his  furni- 
ture as  a  memento,  and  I  chose  an  arm-chair  which  I 
pointed  out  to  Lord  Granville,  who  said  it  was  unfortn- 

239 


RECOLLECTIONS  1871- 

nate,  as  ho  particularly  wanted  it;  so  I  innocently  gave 
way,  and  in  the  evening  the  chair  arrived  at  onr  house, 
with  a  note  from  Lord  Granville  saying  it  was  to  be 
Horace's,  as  a  recollection  of  his  old  friend  *'  T.  A." 

In  March,  1872,  I  got  up  a  great  farewell  dinner  to 
Lord  Xorthbrook  on  his  departure  to  India  as  Governoi-- 
General,  It  was  held  at  the  Buckingham  Palace  Hotel, 
and  was  an  extraordinary  success,  Lord  DuUerin  propos- 
ing Lord  Northbrook's  health  in  language  of  exquisite 
felicity. 

In  April  Lady  Caroline  Barrington  was  in  charge  of 
the  Prince  and  Princess  of  Wales's  children  at  Chiswick, 
and  our  children,  Constance  and  Bill,  went  to  stay  there 
with  them.  We  spent  some  evenings  in  that  historical 
house,  and  saw  the  room  in  which  Charles  James  Fox  died. 

About  this  time  Lord  Dufferin  offered  me,  through  my 
wife,  the  clerkship  to  the  Council  of  the  Duchy  of  Lan- 
caster, which,  after  some  consideration,  I  declined,  as  I 
felt  that  it  would  be  too  much  of  a  backwater,  and  that 
my  prospects  of  advancement  would  not  be  improved  by 
accepting  it. 

Lord  Dufferin  wrote :  "  It  is  very  vexatious  to  think 
that  the  one  bit  of  patronage  that  I  have  ever  had  at  my 
disposal,  instead  of  going  to  a  dear  friend  and  one  so 
eminently  qualified  to  hold  it,  should  fall  into  the  posses- 
sion of  a  stranger  to  me." 

Just  after  this.  Lord  Dufferin  went  to  Canada  as  Gov- 
ernor-General, to  his  great  delight;  and  Mr.  Gladstone 
became  provisionally  Chancellor  of  the  Duchy. 

It  was  in  May  that,  dining  at  the  Dufferins'  before  he 
started,  we  met  for  the  last  time  the  beautiful  Mrs.  Nor- 
ton; but  she  was  not  alone  in  her  beauty,  for  others  of 
the  Sheridan  family  were  there  (Lady  Hermione  and  her 
lovely  daughters)  to  enter  into  competition  with  her, 
with  all  the  glorious  advantages  of  youth. 

240 


1872  MR.    BRAND 

On  Mr.  Denison's  retirement  from  the  Speakership,  in 
1872,  Mr.  Brand  was  elected.  He  had  been  Whip  to  the 
Liberal  party  for  seven  years,  and  was  the  most  delight- 
ful and  genial  of  men.  When  Mr.  Disraeli  was  acquaint- 
ed with  the  choice  of  the  government,  he  is  reported  to 
have  said:  "  I  dare  say  he  is  a  very  good  man,  but  I 
don't  happen  ever  to  have  seen  him." 

The  choice  was  soon  justified,  and  Mr.  Brand  filled  his 
high  office  with  judgment  and  dignity.  I  once  asked 
him  if  he  had  ever  known  or  heard  of  money  passing  in 
our  time  for  the  vote  of  a  member.  He  said :  "  No, 
never.  The  nearest  approach  to  it  I  have  ever  known 
was  our  finding  a  suit  of  clothes  for  an  M.P.,  who  stated 
that  without  them  he  would  not  be  able  to  attend  the 
House  at  a  critical  division." 

On  Saturday,  June  15th,  a  hot  day,  the  Cabinet  was 
summoned  at  eleven  o'clock  to  await  the  decision  of  the 
Alabama  Court  from  Geneva.  After  they  had  been  wait- 
ing in  vain  for  some  hours,  Lord  Granville  put  his  head 
into  my  room  and  said:  'MVe  shall  inevitably  quarrel  if 
we  are  kept  much  longer  waiting  with  nothing  to  do. 
Can  you  get  me  a  chess-board?"  I  went  down-stairs  and 
found  my  daughter  Constance  had  one,  which  I  pro- 
duced, and  on  which  Mr.  Forster  and  Lord  Granville 
played  for  hours  on  the  terrace,  the  rest  looking  on. 

This  is  told  in  Forster's  biography,  and  I  am  still  the 
happy  possessor  of  the  historical  chess-board.  The  Cabi- 
net sat  till  dinner  time,  but  the  news  never  came  till  Sun- 
day. 

It  was  during  the  process  of  the  Alabama  difficulties 
that  I  made  the  acquaintance  of  Sir  John  Rose.  He  had 
had  an  interesting  and  varied  career,  having  begun  life  as 
a  local  school-master  in  Canada,  and  had  fought  in  the 
rebellion  of  1837  as  a  volunteer,  after  which,  having  been 
called  to  the  Bar  in  1842,  and  practising  at  Montreal,  he 
Q  241 


RECOLLECTIONS  1871- 

becanie  the  leading  authority  in  commercial  law.  Later 
on  he  was  made  Solicitor-General  and  Minister  of  Pub- 
lic Works,  and  in  18G4  was  appointed  commissioner  for 
tlie  negotiation  of  the  Oregon  Claims.  In  186t)  he  was 
made  special  commissioner  in  connection  with  the  AUi- 
bama  Claims,  and  assisted  in  the  settlement  happily  elf  ect- 
ed  by  the  Washington  treaty  of  1870. 

Wliiie  the  latter  negotiations  were  going  on  we  were  in 
constant  confidential  communication,  and  the  acquaint- 
ance then  formed  with  8ir  Jolm  and  Lady  Rose  ripened 
into  a  friendship  only  ending  with  their  deaths,  which, 
curiously  enough,  were  both  very  sudden.  I  was  out 
driving  with  her  at  Loseley  only  a  few  days  before  she 
died;  and  on  the  very  day,  some  years  later,  that  I  re- 
ceived a  letter  from  him,  begging  me  to  join  him  in 
Scotland,  came  the  news  of  his  death,  which  occurred 
while  stalking  in  the  Duke  of  Portland's  forest  at  Lang- 
well.  There  was  no  pain  to  him  in  liis  death;  that  was 
reserved  to  us,  for  a  better  or  kinder  friend  never  lived. 
Dr.  Quain  told  us  afterwards  that  lie  had  a  weak  heart, 
and  should  not  have  gone  out  stalking.  He  was  buried 
in  the  cemetery  at  Guildford,  and  laid  by  the  side  of  his 
wife,  many  of  his  friends  following  him  to  the  grave  with 
aching  hearts.  As  for  Lady  Rose,  I  have  in  a  long  life 
met  many  women  I  thought  clever,  but  never  one  so 
clever  as  she  was,  or  with  such  a  genius  for  society. 

One  evening  after  dinner  we  went  into  their  drawing- 
room  at  Loseley,  the  ceiling  of  which  was  decorated 
with  a  cockatrice  on  each  panel.  ''I  don't  know,"  said 
Welby,  'Mvhat  a  cockatrice  is."  ''I  little  thought,"  I 
said,  "that  n  gourmet  like  you  would  avow  your  igno- 
rance of  the  existence  of  a  "^poulet  au  riz.' " 

In  this  year  there  was  published  a  scurrilous  pamphlet 
entitled  117/^^  Does  She  Do  With  It?  by  "  Solomon  Tem- 
ple," reflecting  on  the  Queen  and  tlie  Civil  List.     It  was 

242 


lifjljll 


\f    ^ 


4_^_     ^-  .^iLii_^^- 


.^1 


(■■  I  ■  t 


T^ 


zl ^Ltlc/'-iJLeC 


WAITING    FOR    THE    VERDICT. 


1.  Mr.  GrOSC'HE;^. 

2.  Mk.  Oardwell. 

3.  Mr.  H.  a.  Bruce. 

4.  Duke  of  Argyll. 

6.  Marquess  op  Ripon". 

6.  Marquess  of  Hartington. 

7.  Viscount  Halifax. 


8.  Earl  of  Kimberley. 

9.  Mr.    GrL4DST0NE. 

10.  Earl  Granville. 

11.  Mr.  W.  E.  Forster. 

12.  Lord  Hatherlkt. 

13.  Mr.  Staxsfeld. 


1872  THE    COLLIER    SCANDAL 

supposed  to  have  been  written  anonymously  by  some  one 
in  a  high  position,  and  I  had  a  great  deal  of  worlc  in  con- 
nection with  answering  all  the  charges  made  ;  but  the 
answer  was  complete. 

I  was  also  concerned  in  some  very  complicated  negotia- 
tions between  Mr.  Hooker,  the  Director  of  Kew  Gardens, 
and  Mr.  Ayrton,  the  First  Commissioner  of  Works,  who 
had  quarrelled.  Ayrton  had  an  evil  tongue,  but  I  con- 
fess that  I  thought  him  the  more  reasonable  man  of  the 
two.  He  was  complimentary  to  me  in  the  House  of 
Commons  when  the  subject  was  discussed;  and  on  Mr. 
Bernal  Osborne  sneering  at  my  attempt  to  make  peace, 
Mr.  Gladstone  spoke  most  eulogistically  of  the  part  I  had 
taken  in  the  matter. 

Before  the  session  was  over  arose  what  was  nnfairly 
called  the  Collier  scandal,  for  which  Mr.  Gladstone 
could  only  justly  be  blamed  as  a  consenting  party. 

In  a  previous  session  a  Bill  had  been  passed  by  which 
it  was  enacted  that  no  one  should  be  appointed  a  Lord 
of  Appeal  without  having  first  served  as  a  Judge  in  the 
Common  Pleas. 

It  was  proposed  now  that  Sir  Robert  Collier  should  be 
passed  straight  through  the  Common  Pleas,  thus  comply- 
ing with  the  letter  of  the  law  only. 

'  I  foresaw  that  Mr.  Gladstone  would  suffer  heavily  if 
this  were  done  ;  and  though  it  was  no  particular  business 
of  mine,  I  implored  George  Glyn  to  interpose.  He  only 
said  :  "I  suppose  you  know  better  than  Mr.  Gladstone.  ' 
"Well,  at  any  rate,"  I  answered,  "I  am  what  Sydney 
Smith  used  to  call  a  'good  foolometer.'"  And  I  went 
up  and  argued  the  case  with  Mr.  Gladstone,  Avho  was 
most  kind  and  attentive,  but  did  not  see  it  with  my  eyes, 
and  the  most  was  made  of  what  was  not  a  scandal  but 
a  grave  error.  It  had  not  even  the  elements  of  a  job  in 
it,  for  Sir  Robert  Collier  was  a  great  loss  to  the  govern- 

243 


RECOLLECT  I  OXS  1871- 

meut  as  ii  law  adviser,  and  tlie  seat  he  held  was  lost  to 
the  Liberal  party. 

Then  followed  another  mistake,  which  was  naturally 
taken  advantage  of  by  the  Opposition  •  Mr.  Harvey,  a 
Cambridge  man,  was  appointed  to  the  rectory  of  Ewelme. 
The  statutes  laid  down  that  the  rector  must  be  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Oxford  Convocation,  but  he  had  been  educated 
at  Cambridge,  and  was  only  subsequently  made  a  member 
of  the  Oxford  Convocation  to  satisfy  the  statute. 

Tiiose  two  events,  small  in  themselves,  did  enormous 
damage  to  the  government. 

Bobsy  Meade  used  humorously  to  say  that  if  everything 
were  submitted  to  a  cabinet  of  j^rivate  secretaries,  most 
of  the  blunders  committed  by  government  would  be 
avoided.  Of  course  he  said  it  jokingly,  but  in  the  joke 
lay  some  truth  on  the  principle  that  "  onlookers  see  most 
of  tlie  game." 

One  evening  in  August  we  had  been  dining,  as  we 
often  did,  in  the  garden  of  Downing  Street,  and  were 
standing  on  the  terrace  when  Mr.  Gladstone  told  me 
that  he  proposed  to  appoint  me  in  poor  Sir  Alexander 
Duff-Gordon's  place  to  a  commissionership  of  Inland 
Revenue.  As  public  speakers  say,  it  was  "with  very 
mingled  feelings"  that  I  received  the  announcement.  It 
was  a  very  sad  moment  to  feel  that  my  private  secretary- 
ship was  drawing  to  a  close.  Next  to  being  in  the  Cabi- 
net, to  be  private  secretary  to  a  great  leader  like  Mr. 
Gladstone  is,  in  my  opinion,  the  most  desirable  of  offices 
— provided  the  private  secretary  enjoys,  as  I  am  happy 
to  say  I  did,  the  absolute  conli<lence  of  his  master.  No 
one  ever  before  had  one  so  kind,  so  trusting,  and  so 
generous — I  will  not  say  considerate  in  the  ordinary  ac- 
ceptation of  the  term,  ])ut  thoroughly  appreciative  :  he 
worked  hard  himself  and  always  expected  that  those 
under  him  should  do  so  too. 

244 


1872         IN    THE    INLAND    REVENUE 

After  nearly  fonr  j^ears  of  delightful  and  confidential 
intercourse  with  the  greatest  man  of  this  or  probably  anj^ 
other  age,  the  end  was  indeed  inexpressibly  sad.  During 
that  time  he  had  always  let  me  talk  to  him  freely  on 
every  subject.  He  had  argued  matters  with  me  often  as 
an  equal,  with  great  earnestness,  yet,  with  all  his  knowl- 
edge and  experience,  modestly,  and  ever  ready  to  make 
allowances  for  the  many  shortcomings  with  which  I 
must  often  have  tried  him.  And  yet  throughout  that 
period  I  never  knew  him  lose  his  temper,  and  cannot 
recollect  a  hard  thing  he  ever  spoke  of  his  bitterest  oj)- 
ponents,  or  even  of  friends  who  deserted  and  vilified  the 
man  upon  whom  they  had  fawned,  though  he  had  cover- 
ed them  with  honors  and  titles. 

I  lay  the  flattering  unction  to  my  soul  that  he  was  a 
little  sorry  too,  for  he  wrote  to  her  Majesty  as  follows : 

"  Mr.  West  obtains  a  well-deserved  reward  for  much 
arduous  labor  admirably  performed  ,  but  the  office  he 
takes  is  a  working  one  and  absolutely  requires  the  sur- 
render of  the  private  secretaryship,  to  Mr.  Gladstone's 
great  concern  and  not  small  embarrassment." 

The  Times  also  commented  on  my  appointment  in  the 
following  appreciative  terms  : 

"None  who  do  not  know  can  form  an  adequate  idea 
of  the  responsibility  necessarily  thrown  upon  the  private 
secretary  of  a  Cabinet  Minister,  or  the  anxiety  and  labor 
the  office  entails ;  the  salary  would  not  repay  a  second- 
class  clerk  in  a  great  mercantile  establishment,  and  until 
a  proper  provision  is  made  for  this  highest  kind  of  con- 
fidential service,  such  appointments  as  that  now  con- 
ferred upon  Mr.  Algernon  West  must  be  regarded  as  only 
a  tardy  repayment  for  good  and  hard  work  insufficiently 
rewarded." 

Towards  the  end  of  the  session  I  asked  Mr.  Gladstone 
to  look  through  a  history  I  had  written  of  Sir  Charles 

245 


RECOLLECTIONS  1871-1872 

Wood's  Indian  adniinistration;  and  sought  his  opinion 
as  to  whether  I  sliould  make  an  attempt  to  write  some- 
thing on  the  same  lines  ahout  the  18G8  government. 

He  promised  to  read  it  and  tell  me  what  he  thought, 
a  promise  which  he  fulfilled  in  the  following  letter : 

"Hawarde.n  Castle,  Coester,  August  21,  1872. 

"My  deah  West, — I  have  read  your  book  on  Lord  Halifax's 
Indian  adraiuistration  with  great  interest,  and  I  am  indebted  to  it 
not  oul}'  for  much  information,  but  for  a  far  fuller  and  greater  view 
of  his  merits  as  an  Indian  Minister. 

"  Your  question  to  me,  I  think,  was  whether  I  thought  (after 
reading  it)  that  j'ou  were  competent  to  write  a  narrative  of  the 
principal  proceedings  of  the  present  government — or  of  its  Irish 
legislation.     Correct  me  if  I  do  not  report  your  inquiry  accurately. 

"  I  should  answer  without  doubt  in  the  affirmative.  But  I  think 
there  is  one  danger  against  which  you  would  require  to  be  more  on 
your  guard  than  was  necessary  in  dealing  with  the  unimpassioned 
question  of  India.  You  would  have  to  expel  from  j'our  mind  for 
the  time  the  spirit  of  sympathy  and  friendship  and  to  place  every- 
thing as  far  as  possible  in  an  abundance  of  daylight.  The  danger 
I  refer  to  besets  j^ou  not  as  A.  E.  W.,  but  as  a  contemporary  writer. 
These  narratives  close  on  the  heels  of  the  event  are  very  difficult, 
though  not  impossible.  If  you  succeeded  in  your  second  task  as 
well  as  in  the  first,  it  would  do  you  much  honor. 

"Yours  sincerely, 

"W.  E.  Gladstone." 


CHAPTER  XII 

ME.    GLADSTONE 

And  so  the  time  was  come  when  I  should  have  to  leave 
the  great  Prime  Minister  who  was  "  not  in  the  roll  with 
common  men"' — who  had  Avon  success  almost  from  his 
cradle ;  at  three  years  old,  as  he  often  told  me,  he  had 
babbled  out  a  few  lisping  words  standing  on  his  father's 
dining-table,  on  the  occasion  of  Mr.  Canning's  success- 
ful election  for  Liverpool  in  1812.  At  Eton,  the  friend 
of  Lord  Canning,  Milnes  Gaskell,  Hope  Scott,  Gerald 
Wellesley,  and  Arthur  Hallam,  he  had  foreshadowed  his 
future  career ;  at  Oxford,  in  competition  with  a  larger 
body  of  distinguished  men,  he  had  taken  the  highest 
honors  ;  when  only  twenty-three  years  of  age  he  had  en- 
tered Parliament  on  the  Duke  of  Newcastle's  recom- 
mendation, and  after  a  hard  fight  had  reconquered  for 
the  Tory  party  the  borough  of  Newark.  He  soon  at- 
tracted more  attention  than  usually  falls  to  the  lot  of  the 
young  members  of  the  House  of  Commons,  and  Mrs. 
Gladstone  told  me  of  a  letter  written  by  William  IV.  to 
Lord  Althorp  and  published  in  his  Life,  in  which  the 
King  had  noticed  and  admired  an  early  speech  of  her 
husband's. 

In  Peel's  great  government  of  1841,  Mr.  Gladstone, 
who  had  been  a  Junior  Lord  of  the  Treasury  in  1834-35, 
became  V^ice-President  of  the  Board  of  Trade,  and  was 
informed  by  the  Prime  Minister  that  he  would  learn 
everything  connected  with  the  business  of  his  department 

347 


RECOLLECTIONS  Mr.Gladstonb 

from  the  President,  from  whom,  Mr.  Gladstone  has  fre- 
quently told  me,  he  learned  absolutely  nothing  ;  but 
from  his  own  application  and  labor  he  learned  much,  and 
among  other  things  the  blessings  likely  to  accrue  to  the 
country  by  the  abolition  of  protective  duties  on  corn. 

At  the  Board  of  Trade  some  Chinese  despatches  came 
before  him,  in  which  the  Prime  Minister  of  that  coun- 
try argued  that  foreign  ships  should  not  be  admitted  to 
Chinese  waters;  but,  he  added,  ''some  of  these  ships 
conveyed  corn,  and  it  would  be  madness  to  exclude  what 
Avould  cheapen  the  food  of  the  people  from  their  ports." 
And  these  words  of  Oriental  wisdom  had  influenced  Mr. 
Gladstone's  mind  in  the  direction  of  free-trade. 

In  1843  he  first  entered  the  Cabinet  as  President  of  the 
Board  of  Trade,  a  position  Avhich  he  resigned  in  1845  on 
the  Maynooth  question,  Disraeli  declaring  that  his  career 
was  over.  With  advancing  years,  we  learn,  too  late  per- 
haps, the  folly  of  all,  particularly  political,  prophecies. 

In  September  of  1845  Mr.  Gladstone  — who  had  va- 
cated his  seat  for  Newark,  disagreeing  on  the  question 
of  free-trade  with  the  personage  then  called  the  Patron 
of  the  Borough,  the  Duke  of  Newcastle — re-entered  the 
Cabinet  as  Secretary  of  State  for  the  Colonies  without  a 
seat  in  Parliament. 

In  1847  he  had  become  member  for  the  University  of 
Oxford. 

He  was  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer  in  the  govern- 
ments of  Lord  Aberdeen  and  Lord  Palmerston,  at  whose 
death  he  had  led  the  House  of  Commons ;  he  had  shown 
himself  to  be  an  accomplished  orator :  the  mellowness 
and  modulation  of  his  voice,  tinged  with  the  slight  Lan- 
cashire burr  which  never  deserted  him,  had  already  de- 
lighted and  fascinated  the  House  of  Commons. 

Lord  Macaulay  has  told  us  how  in  the  early  morning, 
when  Mr.  Disraeli,  having  replied  at  the  close  of  the  de- 

248 


Mr.  Gladstone  HIS     OPPONENTS 

bate  on  the  Budget  of  1852,  sat  down,  "one  greater  than 
he  arose — Mr.  Gladstone  bounded  on  the  floor  amid  a 
storm  of  cheers  such  as  the  walls  of  Parliament  had  never 
heard.  His  oration  in  a  single  day  doubled  his  influence 
in  Parliament  and  his  popularity  in  the  country  " — all 
this  was  known  to  the  veriest  tyro  in  political  knowledge ; 
but,  notwithstanding  his  great  reputation,  all  his  suc- 
cesses, and  all  his  triumphs,  he  was  still  in  1868  looked 
npon  by  those  who  belonged  to  what  were  then  called 
''the  governing  families"  of  the  country,  with  the  notable 
exception  of  Lord  Granville,  and  perhaps  Lord  Russell, 
as  an  ''^ outsider,"  so  to  speak.  I  recollect  one  of  them 
saying  to  me:  "He  is  a  wonderful  man,  no  doubt;  but 
so  is  a  Japanese  conjurer." 

A  great  Yorkshire  squire  described  him  in  hunting 
slang  as  "  not  having  been  bred  in  their  kennel." 

"■  If  Mr.  Gladstone,"  wrote  a  Whig  magnate,  "  thinks 
he  can  lead  the  House  of  Commons  with  the  force  of  the 
millions  without  the  good-will  of  the  ten  thousand,  he 
will  find  his  mistake." 

Mr.  Bagehdt,  a  keen  political  observer,  had  said  it 
was  impossible  to  calculate  what  his  future  course  would 
be.  His  great  Budget  had  been  described  by  an  old 
Whig  as  "  Oxford  on  the  surface,  and  Liverpool  below." 

The  Tories  feared  and  hated  him  :  the  Church,  with  a 
few  notable  exceptions,  opposed  him  :  Oxford  University 
had  thrust  him  out;  the  old  Whig  joarty  had  not  for- 
gotten his  opposition  in  past  years ;  the  Nonconformists 
disliked  his  Church  views.  Even  in  his  financial  triumph 
of  1860  they  of  his  own  household  were  opposed  to  him. 
The  readers  of  Greville's  Memoirs  will  recollect  how 
"  Clarendon  shook  his  head,  and  pronounced  against 
the  French  treaty,  and  the  Times  thundered  against 
it."  Lord  Palmerston  and  Sir  George  Cornwall  Lewis 
were  always  secretly,  when  not  openly,  opposed  to  him 

249 


R  E  C  0  L  L  E  (J  T  I  0  X  S  -Mr.  Gladstone 

on  matters  of  finance.  Charles  Greville,  himself  no  mean 
representative  of  the  governing  families,  described  him 
in  1860  as  having  ''a  fervent  imagination  which  furnishes 
facts  and  arguments  in  support  of  them:  he  is  an  au- 
dacious innovator  because  he  has  an  insatiable  desire  for 
popularity,  and  in  his  notions  of  government  he  is  a  far 
more  sincere  Republican  than  Bright,  for  his  uugratified 
personal  vanity  makes  him  wish  to  subvert  the  institu- 
tions and  the  classes  that  stand  in  the  way  of  his  ambi- 
tion.'^ 

And  yet  so  overwhelming  was  his  personality  and  liis 
force  that  he  Avas  in  18G8,  by  the  voice  of  the  people, 
chosen  to  be  Prime  Minister  by  an  enormous  majority 
of  the  votes  of  his  countrymen.  As  John  Moriey  tells 
us.  Dr.  Johnson  said  of  the  elder  Pitt,  "  he  was  a  Min- 
ister given  by  the  people  to  the  King,"  and  rarely  as,  we 
are  told,  it  hapjoens,  "  Parliamentary  life  admitted  the 
autocratic  supremacy  of  his  original  intellect."  If  this 
be  true,  Mr.  Gladstone  was  only  reaching  his  zenith  at 
nearly  sixty  years  of  age ;  and  at  the  time  of  his  becom- 
ing the  most  powerful  Prime  Minister  of  our  day,  I  had 
had  the  rare  good  fortune  to  be  associated  with  him,  and 
had  the  opportunity,  at  any  rate,  of  seeing  behind  the 
veil  of  his  wonderful  and  subtle  character.  From  that 
hour  there  remained,  and  will  ever  remain  with  me,  an 
intense  love  and  admiration  of  his  enormous  powers,  of 
his  marvellous  memory,  of  his  splendid  oratory,  of  his 
personal  kindness,  and  of  his  touching  modesty. 

It  was  soon  after  my  first  acquaintance  with  ^Ir.  Glad- 
stone that  he  told  me  how  impossible  it  was  for  a  Min- 
ister and  his  secretary  adequately  to  perform  their  re- 
spective duties  unless  there  was  established  between 
them  such  an  absolute  confidence  as  in  a  happy  domestic 
life  should  exist  between  a  man  and  his  wife.  I  hope  I 
have  never  betrayed  that  confidence  which  he  so  fully 

250 


MR.GLADSTONE    HIS    CHARACTERISTICS 

bestowed  on  me,  and  which  extended  to  the  last  days  of 
his  existence.  After  all  the  long  years  of  close  intimacy, 
private  and  official,  I  have  never  felt  capable  of  adequate- 
ly depicting  a  hundredth  part  of  his  complex  character, 
so  great  and  so  vast  that  to  understand  it  is  necessary 
to  divide  it. 

Through  every  phase,  in  every  action  and  every  thought 
was  abundantly  apparent  a  deep  sense  of  religion  ;  indeed, 
it  was  to  his  life  what  the  Nile  is  to  Egypt,  what  sun- 
shine is  to  the  world. 

"  Languor  was  not  in  his  heart, 
Weakness  was  not  in  his  word, 
Weariness  not  on  his  brow." 

He  was  possessed  of  an  imperious  vitality,  and  what 
Burke  called  a  ''qaadrumanous  activity"  ),yhich  pene- 
trated into  every  office  of  the  state ;  and  through  it  all 
stood  out  his  old  conservatism  in  the  truest  sense  of  the 
word :  his  devotion  to  old  traditions  and  constitutional 
forms  ;  his  loyalty  to  the  Crown  ;  while  with  this  devotion 
was  joined  a  courtesy  most  reverential  to  the  Queen,  and 
an  affection  for  the  royal  family  which  was  most  touch- 
ing. The  world  perhaps  does  not  know  that  it  was 
largely  owing  to  his  negotiations  as  leader  of  the  Liberal 
party  that  the  royal  grants  were  so  satisfactorily  arranged 
in  the  House  of  Commons  in  1889. 

William  Gurdon,  who  had  been  my  colleague  and  knew 
him  well,  said  that  he  approached  every  new  question, 
first  from  a  Tory  point  of  view,  and  after  some  consider- 
ation would  come  round  to  see  it  from  a  Liberal  point  of 
view.  Even  in  small  details  his  conservatism  Avas  ap- 
parent. George  Lefevre  once  told  me  that  when,  as 
First  Commissioner  of  Works,  he  put  before  Mr.  Glad- 
stone his  plan  for  the  widening  of  Parliament  Street,  the 
latter  deprecated  very  strongly  the  destruction  of  King 

251 


RECOLLECTIONS  Mr.  Gladstone 

Street,  simply  because  it  was  an  ancient  landmark  of 
London,  and  should  be  preserved  for  that  reason. 

It  has  been  said  and  repeated  a  hundred  times  that 
Lord  Beaconsfield  understood  men,  but  that  Mr.  Glad- 
stone understood  mankind;  as  Monckton  Milnes  said  of 
the  first:  ''Knew  not  mankind,  but  keenly  knew  all 
men";  and  of  the  latter:  "Knew  naught  of  men,  but 
knew  and  loved  mankind." 

I  have  my  own  doubts  as  to  the  truth  of  this  generally 
accepted  proposition,  for  from  numberless  conversations 
with  him  I  was  able  to  see  how  shrewd  Avas  his  criticism 
and  appreciation  of  public  men.  He  always,  I  admit, 
took  the  highest  view  that  was  possible,  and  believed  in 
them  till  he  was  persuaded  to  the  contrary. 

Talking  on  this  subject  long  after  his  departure  from 
the  Liberal  party,  Mr.  Chamberlain  said  Mr.  Gladstone 
was  no  judge  of  men;  but  then  he  generously  added: 
"  When  a  man  is  on  a  high  eminence  he  looks  down  and 
sees  men  moving  below  him,  but  from  his  great  height 
he  does  not  distinguish  between  those  that  are  tall  and 
those  of  lesser  stature." 

As  an  instance  of  his  Parliamentary  intuition  and 
judgment  of  character  I  may  notice  that  when  the  game 
of  obstruction  began  to  be  practised  in  the  House  of 
Commons  by  some  of  the  Tory  left  wing,  a  friend  walk- 
ino-  home  with  Mr.  Gladstone  asked  him  if  he  did  not 
think  it  very  serious. 

''Not  at  present,"  he  said;  "for  these  obstruction- 
ists are  all  aw  fond  gentlemen,  and  will  not  press  it  to 
extremity ;  but  their  example  may  be  followed  in  the 
future  by  less  scrupulous  men,  and  then  it  may  become 
dangerous." 

It  was  an  intuition  that  made  him  select  Sir  Stafford 
Northcote,  then  an  unknown  man,  as  his  private  sec- 
retary, and  he  was  the  first  to  introduce  him  into  Par- 

252 


Mr.  Gladstone        HIS     DISCERNMENT 

liameiit  as  member  for  Dudley,  a  seat  then  controlled  by 
Lord  Ward,  a  Peelite. 

He  was  also  the  first  to  appreciate  the  budding  quali- 
ties of  Lord  Randolph  Chnrchill,  while  five  of  the  most 
successful  and  prominent  politicians'  of  the  present  day 
were  all  introduced  into  high  office  by  Mr.  Gladstone. 

Lords  Hampden  and  Peel,  as  Speakers,  testify  to  his 
keen  discernment  of  their  qualifications  ;  while  among 
permanent  officials  I  may  surely  point  to  Sir  Robert  Her- 
bert, Sir  Arthur  Godley,  and  Mr.  Theodore  AValrond,  who 
were  all  brought  into  the  Civil  Service  by  him,  and  to 
Lord  Lingen  and  Lord  "Welby,  who  were  both  placed  in 
the  highest  positions  by  his  selection. 

To  say  that  Mr.  Disraeli — who  at  once  fascinated  and 
delighted  the  Court  and  the  populace  with  his  idea  of 
an  Empress  of  Lidia;  who  at  the  time  of  the  Treaty  of 
Berlin  tickled  the  imagination  of  the  people  with  vis- 
ions of  Oriental  imperialism  ;  who  became  the  most  pop- 
ular Minister  of  the  century,  and  almost  its  idol — was 
ignorant  of  mankind,  seems  to  me  to  be  almost  grotesque. 

Mr.  Gladstone  has  been  accused  of  being  intolerant 
of  those  who  differed  from  him,  and  of  brushing  aside 
with  an  energy  approaching  to  rudeness  objections  made 
to  his  own  plans.  This  may  have  been  quite  true, 
when  his  mind  was  once  definitely  made  up  ;  but  I  have 
never  known  a  man  who,  while  any  matter  was  being 
discussed,  was  so  patient  in  hearing  and  sifting  objec- 
tions to  the  bottom  until  he  thought  the  truth  was 
reached.  And  then  he  had  a  splendid  boldness  in  dash- 
ing difficulties  aside,  thus  following  Lord  Bacon's  advice 
that  in  council  it  is  good  to  see  dangers — in  execution 
not  to  see  them.     He  acted  on  the  famous  maxim  that 

'  Lord  Rosebery,  Mr.  Asquith,  Sir  Edward  Grey,  Mr.  Chamber- 
lain, and  Mr.  John  Morley. 

253 


RECOLLECTIONS  Mn.  n  l  arstonh 

a  statesman  should  doubt  to  tlic  last,  and  then  act  as  if 
he  had  never  doubted.  In  the  hour  of  action  he  was 
like  a  great  commander  who,  having  matured  plans  after 
careful  consideration,  sees  before  him  his  enemy's  cita- 
del which  he  means  to  take,  and  becomes  regardless  and 
even  scornful  of  timid  counsels  and  timid  advisers  wlio 
point  out  to  him  ambuscades  and  obstacles  which  lie 
means  to,  and  does,  overcome. 

The  comparison  holds  good  in  another  aspect.  Like 
many  political  personages,  he  has  been  accused  of  being 
lieartless.  AVould  not  that  criticism  equally  hold  good 
in  the  case  of  any  great  and  successful  general  who  in 
tlie  fury  of  the  battle  sees  his  comrades  shot  down  by 
his  side,  but  has  no  time  to  waste  in  idle  lamentations  ; 
indeed,  he  envies  them  the  glorious  opportunity  of  lay- 
ing down  their  lives  in  the  service  of  their  country? 

My  own  belief  is  that  Mr.  Gladstone  early  realized  the 
fact  that  "life  has  nobler  uses  than  regret."  He  believed 
that  in  every  step  he  took  throughout  his  career  lie  had 
acted  to  the  best  of  his  abilities,  and  that  there  was  no 
time  to  waste  on  idle  retrospections. 

His  aim  and  work  lay  before  him  ;  and,  like  Colonel 
Hay's  hero, 

"He  saw  liis  duty  a  straight,  sure  tiling, 
Aud  weut  for  it  tlicre  and  then." 

He  was 

"One  who  never  turned  his  back;  but  marched  breast  forward; 
Never  doubted  clouds  would  break  ; 
Never    dreamed,    though    right    were    worsted,    wrong    would 
triumph  ; 
Held  we  fall  to  rise,  are  baffled  to  fight  better,  sleep  to  wake." 

The  intense  enthusiasm  with  \vhich  he  entered  into 
the  subject  and  the  object  of  the  moment  was  apt  to 
dim,  if  not  obliterate,  the  little  loves  and  affections  which 

254 


Mr.  Gladstone        A    GREAT    COMMONER 

crowd  the  life  of  smaller  men.  The  execution  of  his 
great  work  was  the  one  thing  in  his  eyes,  and  the  instru- 
ments and  tools  he  used  were  dearer  to  him  than  any- 
thing else ;  and  the  men  associated  with  him  at  the  mo- 
ment were  always  greater  than  the  men  who  had  passed 
away.  He  became  absorbed  in  the  task,  whatever  it 
might  be,  which  he  had  set  himself  to  do ;  he  was  not 
one  of  those  who,  having  put  their  hand  to  the  plough, 
knew  what  it  was  to  turn  back. 

Mr.  Lowe  said  to  a  friend  of  mine  :  "  Gladstone  pos- 
sesses no  ideas — his  ideas  possess  him." 

He  would  strongly  condemn  Avhat  he  thought  wrong, 
but  he  never  imputed  a  bad  motive  to  any  one,  and  his 
masterful  temper  was  singularly  combined  with  a  proud 
modesty,  which  led  him  to  shrink  from  any  honor  con- 
ferred upon  himself;  for  here  was  the  greatest  Prime 
Minister  of  his  day,  who  had  created  Dukes  and  Mar- 
quises, Earls  and  Viscounts,  and  Barons  galore,  who  had 
showered  Garters  and  Ribbons  and  Stars,  who  had  be- 
stowed Archbishoprics  and  Bishoprics,  Viceroyalties,  and 
Secretaryships  of  State — a  commoner,  without  any  title 
and  without  any  rank. 

We  all  know  how,  among  the  decorated  statesmen  who 
formed  the  dazzling  assembly  in  Vienna,  Talleyrand  re- 
marked of  Lord  Castlereagh,  Avho  attended  the  confer- 
ence without  any  decoration  :  "  H  est  bien  distingue." 
And  so  it  was  with  Mr.  Gladstone,  he  was  bien  distingue. 
As  Macaulay  said  of  Hampden;  ''He  was  one  of  those 
great  commoners  whose  plain  prefix  of  'Mr.'  has  to  our 
ears  a  more  majestic  sound  than  the  proudest  of  the 
feudal  titles." 

Genius  has  been  described  in  a  thousand  ways ;  but  his 
genius  it  was  to  raise  everything  he  touched  to  a  higher 
level,  and  to  leave  the  impress  of  his  intellect  on  every 
person  and  every  subject  with  whom  he  came  in  contact. 

255 


R  E  C  0  L  L  E  C  T  IONS  Mk.  Gladstone 

The  late  Lord  Dalhousie,  for  wliom  Mr.  Gladstone 
entertaiued  a  great  affection,  said  to  me  that  he  had 
done  infinite  harm  to  him  and  his  contemporaries  by 
establishing  a  level  so  high  as  to  make  it  impossible  of 
attainment;  yet  I  am  sure  he  was  the  last  man  who 
would  have  wished  **to  pare  the  mountain  to  the  plain." 

Though  Mr.  Gladstone  was  consumed  with  a  devour- 
ing passion  for  liberty  througliout  the  world — from  the 
moment  when  in  opening  the  doors  of  the  dungeons  to 
the  Neapolitan  prisoners  he  struck  the  first  note  of 
Italian  independence,  to  the  last  moment  of  his  life 
when  he  vainly  raised  his  voice  in  behalf  of  the  oppressed 
and  murdered  Armenians:  foreign  politics  could  rarely 
distract  his  attention  from  the  more  engrossing  subjects 
of  domestic  and  more  especially  financial  importance; 
and  so  far  did  this  distaste  permeate  his  character  that  he 
was  often  lacking  in  sufficient  appreciation  of  the  heroic 
deeds  of  our  sailors  and  soldiers,  which  fascinate  at  all 
times  and  seasons  the  belligerent  imaginations  of  the 
most  peaceful  of  Englishmen. 

Mr.  Gladstone's  liberality,  little  heard  of,  while  never 
exceeding  the  bounds  of  his  income,  was  very  great,  and 
was  curiously  accompanied  by  his  love  of  small  econo- 
mies—  his  determination  to  have  the  proper  discount 
taken  off  the  price  of  his  second-hand  books,  his  hor- 
ror of  a  wasted  half-sheet  of  note-paper,  which  almost 
equalled  his  detestation  of  a  wasted  minute,  for  his 
arrangement  of  every  liour  of  tlie  day,  and  for  the  oc- 
cupation of  that  hour,  was  extraordinary.  There  was 
never  in  his  busy  life  an  idle  dawdle  by  the  fire  after 
luncheon,  or  a  doze  over  a  novel  before  dinner.  Saun- 
tering, as  Lord  Hosebery  said,  was  an  impossibility  to 
him — mentally  or  physically  ;  a  walk  meant  four  miles 
an  hour  sharp,  and  I  remember  his  regretting  the  day 
when  he  could  only  go  up  the  Duke  of  York's  steps 

256 


Mr.  Gladstone  HIS     HUMOR 

two  at  a  time.  When  about  to  travel  he  would  carefully 
pack  his  own  despatch-box,  so  that  the  book  or  paper 
he  Avas  reading  was  uppermost  and  ready  at  a  moment's 
notice  to  his  hand. 

In  the  ordinary  acceptation  of  the  phrase,  Mr.  Glad- 
stone might  be  described  as  wanting  in  humor,  but  he 
certainly  was  not  deficient  in  the  rapier-like  skill  which 
he  employed  in  the  brightest  of  badinage  (or  may  I  call 
it  chaff  ?)  in  the  House  of  Commons. 

If  he  was  not  ready  to  appreciate  the  fleeting  wit- 
ticisms which  float  around  society,  there  were  simple 
stories  which  he  would  tell  and  laugh  at  with  a  childlike 
enjoyment. 

Two  contradictory  anecdotes  of  his  humor  and  his 
want  of  appreciation  of  a  joke  occur  to  me. 

"Look,"  he  said  to  his  colleagues  on  the  Bench,  ''at 
those  two  men  ;  which  is  the  uglier  ?"  They  gave  their 
opinion. 

"No,"  said  he;  "you  do  not  approach  the  question 
from  the  proper  point.  If  you  were  to  magnify  your 
man  he  would,  on  a  colossal  scale,  become  dignified  and 
even  imposing ;  but  my  man,  the  more  you  magnified 
him  the  meaner  he  would  become." 

The  Admiralty  got  into  a  great  scrape  by  sending  a 
condemned  transport  called  the  Megmra  to  sea  in  spite 
of  a  report  of  unseaworthiness  ;  she  sprang  a  leak  and 
was  beached. 

During  the  debate  which  arose  on  it,  Mr,  Goschen, 
then  First  Lord  of  the  Admiralty,  tried  to  justify  him- 
self by  emphasizing  the  fact  that  the  leak  was  very 
small. 

Lord  Young,  who  was  Lord  Advocate  at  the  time,  sit- 
ting next  Mr.  Lowe,  said :  "  It  is  lucky  it  is  a  little  one, 
because  he'll  have  to  swallow  it." 

Lowe  repeated  it  to  Mr.  Gladstone,  who  never  smiled, 
B  257 


R  E  C  0  L  L  E  C  T  IONS  Mk.  Gladstone 

iind  evidently  showed  his  want  of  appreciation  of  the 
joke,  or  disapproval  of  its  frivolity  at  such  a  moment. 

As  a  talker,  he  would  pour  out  floods  of  information 
and  eloquence,  even  on  small  points,  probing  deeper 
than  anybody  could  desire  into  the  origin  of  every  sub- 
ject, illustrating  Joubert's  axiom  :  "  To  occnj^y  ourselves 
with  little  things  as  with  great,  to  be  as  fit  and  ready 
for  the  one  as  for  the  other,  is  not  weakness  and  little- 
ness, but  power  and  sufficiency."  But  he  would  frequent- 
ly become  too  much  absorbed  in  the  question  to  possess 
the  gift  of  the  conversationalist,  whose  higliest  art  it 
is  to  give  and  take,  and  toss  the  ball  to  and  fro  lightly 
across  the  table,  and  be  "not  only  witty  in  himself,  but 
the  cause  that  wit  is  in  other  men." 

The  subject  Avas  never  difficult  to  find;  whatever  it 
was,  he  was  prepared  fully  to  dilate  on  its  minutest  de- 
tails. 

Kothing  demonstrated  his  modesty  more  than  his 
criticism  of  sermons.  It  was  constantly  my  lot  to  go  to 
church  with  him,  and  I  only  once  recollect  his  criticising 
adversely,  as  we  lesser  men  habitually  do,  the  sermon 
that  he  heard. 

"  A  very  notable  sermon,"  he  would  say  to  me ;  or, 
"A  very  remarkable  reference  that  he  made  to  Isaiah," 
and  so  on.  Once  only,  coming  away  from  the  Chapel 
Royal,  he  exclaimed  against  a  very  beautiful  sermon  of 
Mr.  White's  of  the  Savoy,  "because,"  he  said,  "he  has 
excited  my  brain  by  his  quotations,  and  given  me  any- 
thing but  the  rest  which  is  what  I  want  and  expect  to 
find  in  church." 

Mr.  Gladstone  never  omitted  attending  service  twice 
every  Sunday,  and  used  always  to  hold  me  in  small  re- 
pute in  being,  as  he  termed  it,  a  "one-cer." 

Lord  Rosebery,  in  his  Life  of  Pitt,  tells  us  of  a  discus- 
sion which  took  place  as  to  the  quality  most  required  in 

258 


Mk.  Gladstone  HIS     CREDULITY 

a  statesman.     One  said  eloquence  ;  one  knowledge ;  one 
toil ;  and  Pitt  said  patience. 

Surely  Mr.  Gladstone  was  endowed  with  all  these 
qualities,  but  the  fairy  that  presided  at  his  birth  denied 
him  the  gift  of  proportion. 

He  woukl  often  use  the  strength  of  a  steam-hammer 
to  break  a  nut ;  he  would  treat  a  stupid  interruption  in 
a  debate  by  an  insignificant  member  of  Parliament  as 
solemnly  as  a  weighty  argument  from  a  distinguished 
opponent ;  he  would  compare  Lord  Altliorp  to  Oliver 
Cromwell,  and  I  am  not  sure  that  he  would  not  give  the 
pre-eminence  to  the  former. 

I  never  feared  to  approach  and  even  to  remonstrate 
with  him  on  any  important  subject,  but  I  was  terrified  at 
the  look  and  words  of  intense  annoyance  which  were  sure 
to  be  elicited  by  some  silly  little  request  from  an  ardent 
admirer  to  put  his  signature  to  a  photograph  or  a  book. 

Sir  Edward  Hamilton,  in  his  excellent  monograph  on 
Mr.  Gladstone,  talks  of  his  credulity,  and  he  certainly 
possessed  an  extraordinary  gift  of  believing,  and  sincere- 
ly believing,  Avhat  he  wanted  to  believe.  Indeed,  the 
secret  of  his  success  was  largely  owing  to  his  moral  ear- 
nestness. This  was  the  power  by  which,  more  even  than 
by  his  oratory  or  his  intellect,  he  swayed  the  masses  of 
his  fellow-countrymen. 

Nobody  could  come  within  reach  of  him  without  feel- 
ing that  he  was  profoundly  penetrated  himself  with  the 
truth  of  everything  he  said. 

In  1875,  when  he  had  temporarily  resigned  the  leader- 
ship of  the  Liberal  party  to  Lord  Hartington,  Mrs. 
Xeville  Lyttelton  told  me  he  was  dining  on  Sunday  with 
Mrs.  Stuart-Wortley,  in  a  state  of  spirits  almost  childish, 
for  I  suppose  he  really  thought  at  the  moment  that  he 
had  retired  from  active  politics.  He  told  her  how  he 
had  attended  service  in  the  Chapel  Eoyal,  probably  for 

359 


IIECOLLECTIONS  Mr.  Gladstone 

the  hist  time,  as  he  connected  it  with  Piirliiimcntary  life, 
and  lie  felt  inclined  to  say,  coming  out  of  the  door: 

"Good-bye,  church;  good-l)ye,  steeple; 
Good-b^'e,  purson;  good-bye  people." 

A  lady  who  lived  at  East  Sheen  recollected  about  that 
time  his  going  down  to  Lord  Leven's  and  rolling  down  a 
grass  bank,  in  the  very  abandonment  of  his  joy. 

Indeed,  he  always  believed  in  his  retirement.  Long 
before  that  came  he  said  to  a  neighbor  at  dinner :  "  My 
great  wisli  is  to  be  out  of  all  the  strife.  At  my  age  I 
ought  to  be  one  of  those  '  whose  faces  are  set  towards 
Zion,  and  who  go  up  thither' ;  this  is  only  a  preparatory 
school — only  a  preparatory  school." 

M.  des  Jardins,  at  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Academy 
of  Moral  and  Political  Sciences  in  Paris,  said: 

''Mr.  Gladstone  might  have  sat  here  at  his  choice 
among  our  philosophers,  our  historians,  our  jurists,  our 
economists,  or  our  moralists.  He  summed  up  in  his  per- 
son all  the  moral  sciences;  better  still,  he  carried  out  the 
doctrines  wliich  he  professed.  Even  while  in  office  he 
knew  how,  if  necessary,  to  set  the  right  of  mankind  above 
British  interests." 

To  this  1  may  add,  without  fear  of  contradiction,  that 
he  was  a  scholar,  financier,  theologian,  administrator, 
and  orator  of  the  highest  order ;  unrivalled  as  a  Parlia- 
mentary tactician,  while  one  of  his  chief  claims  to  the 
admiration  of  posterity  will  be  that  he  was  able  at  will 
to  excite  the  enthusiasm,  rouse  the  sympathies,  and  call 
forth  the  love  and  the  hatred,  both  alike  passionate,  of 
his  fellow-countrymen. 

That  Mr.  Gladstone's  political  life  has  been  advantage- 
ous to  our  country  I  cannot  doubt,  but  posterity  alone  can 
decide;  of  this,  however,  I  am  sure,  that  it  will  be  "count- 
ed to  him  for  righteousness,"  for  it  is  the  struggle  and 
not  the  victory  that  constitutes  the  glory  of  noble  hearts. 

260 


CHAPTER  XIII 

1872-1875 

Chesterfield  Street  in  1872  :  Historical  Associations— Watts's  Studio: 
tlie  Cosmopolitan  Club— The  Board  of  Inland  Revenue:  Ber- 
ries and  Stephenson— Visit  to  Paris:  Traces  of  the  Siege — Visit 
to  Studley  in  Januar}',  1873— Dicky  Doyle— Deaths  of  Bishop 
Wilberforce  and  Lord  Westbury- Royal  Commission  on  Judicial 
Establishments — First  Visit  to  Hawardcn— Mr.  Gladstone  and 
Tree-felling— Sir  Frederick  Abel's  Experiment— Mr.  Gladstone 
on  the  Extravagance  of  the  Indian  Council — His  Defeat  on  tlie 
Irish  Education  Bill— The  Election  of  1874— Retrospect  of  the 
Government  of  1868-1874— Fire  at  the  Pantechnicon — Froude  and 
Kingsley — Holidays  at  Datchet — Lord  Granville  on  Landscape 
Gardening — Death  of  Lady  Caroline  Barrington — Residence  at 
Wimbledon  and  Fairmile  Common. 

Iisr  1872  we  took  up  onr  abode  in  Chesterfield  Street, 
still  charming,  though  not  the  Chesterfield  Street  of  my 
earliest  recollections,  with  Chesterfield  House  peopled  by 
the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Abercorn  and  their  beautiful 
daughters  ;  the  house,  as  Lord  Chesterfield  called  it,  of 
canonical  pillars,  which  were  brought  from  Canons,  the 
seat  of  the  Ditke  of  Buckingham,  near  Edgware,  but 
now,  in  the  miserable  greed  for  money,  shorn  of  its  love- 
ly garden  and  its  ancestral  rookery.  At  the  corner  was 
the  house  where  the  great  Disraeli,  Lord  Beaconsfield, 
breathed  his  last,  and  where  Becky  Sharp  was  found  on 
that  unlucky  night  by  poor  Rawdon  Crawley  in  the  arms 
of  Lord  Steyne.  There,  too,  is  what  I  have  always  right- 
ly or  wrongly  imagined  to  be  Thackeray's  Lady  Whittle- 

261 


PxECOLLECTIONS  1872- 

sea's  Cliapol^  Avhere  Cliarles  Honeyman  preached  in  the 
morning,  and  coughed  in  the  afternoon  "  for  tlie  women 
like  a  consumptive  parson."  At  any  rate,  it  has  its  his- 
torical reminiscences;  for,  if  it  is  not  the  building,  it  is 
the  spot  on  which  the  chapel  stood  where  the  Duke  of 
Hamilton  married  the  beautiful  Miss  Gunning  at  mid- 
night. The  historical  Misses  Berry's  house.  No.  8,  is 
still  as  it  was  in  the  days  when  their  salon  was  famous, 
and  their  drawing-rooms  crowded  with  the  most  brilliant 
society  of  London.  Chesterfield  Street  itself  was  where 
Beau  Brummel  lived,  the  famous  dandy  of  the  Ilegent's 
time;  and  later  on  was  the  abode  of  another  dandy,  with 
none  of  the  faults  of  his  predecessor,  Alfred  Montgom- 
ery, who,  unlike  Brummel,  accumulated  friends  as  he  ad- 
vanced in  years,  and  whose  death  was  bitterly  regretted 
by  them  all. 

There  at  the  corner  is  AVatts's  old  studio,  one  of  the 
great  walls  of  which  is  covered  with  a  life-size  fresco 
taken  from  a  story  of  Boccaccio's  {The  Spectre  Hunts- 
man), where  a  nude  young  woman,  as  a  punishment  for 
having  jilted  her  lover,  is  pursued  by  furies  and  wild 
dogs,  he  to  whom  she  had  behaved  so  badly  in  her  life 
bringing  a  party  of  friends  to  see  the  fate  of  this  poor 
hunted  girl.  The  room  is  now  the  abode  of  the  Cosmo- 
politan Club,  and  it  was  a  standing  joke  of  Stirling- 
Maxwell's  to  say  to  any  inquirer  into  the  subject  of  the 
picture,  "  You  have  no  doubt  heard  of  Watts's  hymns ; 
that  is  one  of  his  hers." 

It  is  a  remarkable  club,  which  originally,  in  1851, 
met  in  Robert  Moricr's  rooms  in  Bond  Street.  The 
original  list  of  members  contained  the  names  of  Robert 
Lowe,  Layard,  Ilarcourt,  Watts,  Ruskin,  Venables, 
Brookfield,  Spedding,  Palgrave,  H.  Phinii)s,  and  Arthur 
Russell;  it  meets  only  on  Wednesdays  and  Sunday 
nights,  when  painters  and  politicians,  officials,  soldiers, 

262 


1875         THE    COSMOPOLITAX    CLUB 

and  literary  men   assemble   for   a  talk  and  a  friendly 

pipe. 

Visions  of  departed  evenings  rise  in  my  recollection 
— when  I  have  seen  Alfred  Wigan  delight  us  all  with 
his  impersonation  of  the  strong  man  or  the  bounding 
brick  of  Babylon,  and  Jnlian  Fane  give  us  wonderful 
impersonations  of  Rachel  in  her  famous  role  of  Adrienne 
Lecouvreur.  There  I  saw  Motley,  Millais,  Monckton 
Milnes,  whom  Carlyle  called  "The  Perpetual  President 
of  the  Heaven  and  Hell  Amalgamation  Society,"  and 
heard  Tom  Taylor  tell  us  how  in  his  drive  into  London 
from  Clapham  he  had  been  told  by  the  omnibus  driver, 
"It  seems  to  me,  sir,  that  society's  pretty  well  nigh  at  a 
end  in  Paris."  "  How  so  ?"  said  Taylor.  "Well,'' he 
continued,  "  I  was  reading  in  the  paper  last  night  that 
they  were  making  barricades  of  omnibuses,  and  I  thinks 
to  myself,  when  they  do  that  society's  pretty  well  nigh 
at  a  end." 

It  was  on  his  return  from  this  club  that  Mr.  Bonteen 
wasmnrdered  in  Lansdowne  Passage  in  Trollope's  novel 
of  Pliineas  Redux. 

Here  I  have  seen  Tom  Hughes  of  Engby  renown  smok- 
ing his  old  pipe,  and  George  Barrington  his  cigarette  ; 
Laurence  Oliphant,  just  back  from  the  Lake  of  Tiberias ; 
Browning  and  Tennyson,  between  whom  no  spark  of 
jealousy  existed  ;  and  Thackeray,  who  never  took  in  the 
spirit  of  the  place  when  he  said,  "  Here  everybody  is,  or 
is  supposed  to  be,  a  celebrity.  Xobody  ever  says  any- 
thing worth  hearing,  and  everybody  goes  there  at  mid- 
night with  a  white  choker,  to  appear  as  if  he  had  been 
dining  with  the  aristocracy." 

These  are  to  the  present  generation  only  ghosts — simu- 
lacra.    On  what  shore  tarry  they  now  ? 

In  August,  1872,  I  took  my  seat  at  the  Board  of  Inland 
Ee venue,  consisting   then  of  Sir  William  Stephenson, 

263 


RECOLLECTIONS  18V2- 

chairman;  Mr.,  afterwards  Sir  Charles  Herries,  deputy 
cliairman  (son  of  the  former  Chancellor  of  the  Excheq- 
uer) ;  Mr.  Alfred  Montgomery  and  Mr.  Eoberts,  com- 
missioners ;  but  it  was  conceded  that  I  might  continue 
to  assist  Mr.  Gladstone  till  the  end  of  the  session,  or  at 
any  rate  till  my  successor  Avas  appointed.  It  was  ulti- 
mately decided  that  Frederick  Cavendish  should  under- 
take the  office. 

Sir  W.  Stephenson  at  once  told  me  that  I  held  an 
office  where  it  was  possible  to  do  very  little  or  a  great 
deal.  lie  recommended  the  latter  course,  and  I  soon 
found  that  he  and  Ilerrics  provided  me  with  every  possi- 
ble oj^portunity  of  learning  my  Avork.  Two  better  men 
were  never  yoked  together  in  the  management  of  a  great 
department;  Sir  William  Stej^henson's  calm  judgment, 
cool  temper,  and  good  sense  made  him  an  admirable 
chairman  ;  while  Herries,  a  scholar,  a  lover  of  detail,  and 
a  beautiful  writer,  supplied  all  that  the  chairman  lacked. 

In  October  my  wife  and  I  wont  for  a  short  holiday  to 
Paris,  wliere  we  were  to  meet  Sir  Reginald  Welby,  and 
to  see  what  appeared  to  us  to  be  the  wrecked  remains  of 
that  City  of  Pleasure.  AVhile  there  we  drove  to  the  Pont 
de  Neuilly  and  back  through  theBois,  contemplating  the 
ruins  and  desolation  of  the  siege  and  the  Commune. 
Nearly  all  the  houses  were  destroyed,  though  new  ones 
were  rapidly  rising  from  the  ruins.  All  the  fine  trees  in 
the  Bois  near  Paris  had  been  cut  down. 

We  saw  Desclee  at  the  Gymnase,  and  "  Rabagas,"  a 
skit  on  Gambetta,  and  Sardou's  "  Patrie."  Welby  was  a 
wonderful  guide  over  the  battle-fields  of  the  ^farne.  One 
day,  after  having  breakfasted  at  the  Pavilion  Henri 
Quatre  at  St. -Germain,  wo  walked  on  the  terrace  where 
the  German  Emperor  and  his  staff  were  standing  when 
a  shot,  fired  from  Mont-Valerien,  struck  the  wall  be- 
low tlieir  feet.     We  went  to  St.-Cloud  in  a  carriage,  the 

3C4 


1875  VISIT    TO    PARIS 

driver  being  dressed  in  the  old  postilion  fashion;  here 
the  demolition  was  terrible;  we  saw  a  wall,  all  that  was 
standing  of  a  house,  and  a  bird-cage  pathetically  hanging 
on  it  still.  In  one  house  over  the  door  was  an  unexploded 
shell  stuck  fast  in  the  plaster.  In  the  Riie  du  Bac  and 
the  Palais  Royal  and  the  Hotel  de  Ville  were  terrible  evi- 
dences of  what  Paris  had  suffered.  Another  day  we 
visited  Versailles,  breakfasting  at  the  Hotel  des  Reser- 
voirs, and  visiting  the  Palais,  where,  in  the  Galerie  des 
Glaces,  the  King  of  Prussia  had  been  declared  Em- 
peror. Passing  by  the  Prefecture,  we  saw  Thiers  coming 
out  for  his  afternoon  drive,  the  only  occasion  on  which 
I  had  ever  seen  him.  M.  Thiers,  by  the  way,  once  met 
an  old  college  friend,  who  said,  "  Well,  what  have  you 
been  doing  since  we  parted?"  ''J'ai  ete  ministre," 
said  Thiers.  "Protestant?"  queried  his  friend.  Such 
is  fame. 

I  had  some  revenue  business  to  transact  with  the  Gov- 
ernor of  the  Bank  of  France,  the  Vicomte  de  Pleurae, 
and  much  regretted  the  inadequacy  of  my  French,  but 
consoled  myself  with  the  thought  that,  bad  though  it 
might  be,  the  Vicomte  could  not  speak  a  word  of  Eng- 
lish. 

When  I  was  Mr.  Gladstone's  secretary  and  living  in 
Downing  Street,  my  name  was  put  on  the  list  of  those 
who  had  the  privilege  of  driving  down  Constitution  Hill. 
Soon  after  the  Tory  accession  my  wife  was  stopped  by 
the  park-keeper  and  told  that  our  name  was  removed 
from  the  list  by  the  Home  Secretary  without  any  com- 
munication with  us,  which  was  a  strong  order.  We 
mentioned  this  to  Sir  Thomas  Biddulph,  the  Queen's 
Privy  Purse,  and  shortly  after  had  the  pleasure  of  receiv- 
ing a  notification  from  the  Home  Secretary  that  he  had 
received  her  Majesty's  orders  to  grant  us  the  right  dur- 
ing life. 

365 


RECOLLECTIONS  1872- 

In  the  end  of  Januai7, 1873,  we  joined  a  large  party  at 
Studley  for  the  coming  of  age  of  Lord  de  Grey.  There 
was  notliing  approacliing  to  architectural  beauty  in  the 
house,  but  there  was  a  fine  ball-room;  and,  as  all  the 
world  knows,  within  a  mile  of  it  is  the  most  glorious  ruin 
in  England — Fountains  Abbey.  Close  to  it  is  a  beautiful 
old  house,  so  beautiful  that  one  marvels  at  the  curious 
taste  that  could  build  in  its  vicinity  a  house  like  the  one 
that  glories  in  the  name  of  Studley  Eoyal. 

Tlie  party  was  a  great  success,  and  the  host  and  host- 
ess, young,  clever,  and  charming,  did  everythiiig  to 
make  it  so.  Among  the  guests  was  ''Dicky  Doyle."  By 
this  time  he  had  abandoned  his  manners  and  customs 
of  ye  Englishe,  and  his  Diary  of  3fr.  Pips,  and  had 
already  taken  to  sketches  of  fairyland,  many  of  which 
were  in  Lady  Ripon's  boudoir ;  he  was  of  a  singularly 
simple  character,  full  of  dry  and  good-natured  wit  and 
companionship. 

On  June  18th,  as  Gentleman  Usher,  I  had  to  go  down 
officially  to  Dover  to  assist  in  the  reception  of  the  Shah 
of  Persia.  There  was  a  fog  hanging  over  the  Channel  as 
we  arrived,  but  it  became  less  dense  as  the  sun  became 
more  powerful,  and  the  ships  of  the  Channel  Scpiadron 
appeared,  one  by  one,  out  of  the  mist,  and  saluted  —  a 
lovely  sight.  We  returned  by  special  train  to  Charing 
Cross  with  the  Granvilles  to  their  house  in  Carlton  House 
Terrace,  to  sec  the  procession  pass.  Unfortunately,  a 
thunderstorm  broke  and  soaked  everybody  and  every- 
thing. 

In  the  middle  of  July  we  had  been  spending  our  Sun- 
day at  Englemerc,  Bobsy  Meade's  place,  near  Ascot,  and 
on  getting  our  newspapers  learned  the  sad  news  of  the 
liirfhop  of  Winchester's  death.  He  was  riding  over  from 
Dorking  to  Ilolmbury  with  Lord  Granville,  when  his 
horse  put  its  foot  in  a  rabbit-hole,  and  fell  (killing  the 

2G6 


1875     THE    BISHOP    OF    WINCHESTER 

Bishop  on  the  spot),  in  a  lovely  grass  valley  near  Holm- 
bury.  It  was  a  curious  coincidence  that,  after  he  had 
started  in  the  morning,  he  returned,  asking  for  his 
glasses,  *'for,"he  said,  "I  am  going  this  afternoon  to 
such  a  beautiful  country." 

I  had  been  much  in  contact  with  him  when  Mr.  Glad- 
stone's secretary.  I  recollect  on  one  occasion  his  telling 
me  how  dearly  the  public  like  a  bit  of  nepotism,  and 
illustrated  it  by  saying  that  when  he  was  at  Oxford  a 
good  living  in  his  diocese  fell  vacant;  he  wanted  some 
new  blood,  but  feared  the  outcry  of  the  clergy  in  the 
diocese.  At  last  he  appointed  his  own  son,  and  not  a 
word  was  said. 

We  were  spending  a  long  holiday  at  Walmer  in  1871, 
when  he  arrived  and  delighted  us  all  with  his  stories. 

One  I  remember  was  of  Talleyrand,  who  was  transact- 
ing business  with  the  Emperor,  when  the  latter  sudden- 
ly turned  to  him,  and  said:  ''I  have  lately  been  subject 
to  fits,  which  I  am  anxious  to  conceal.  I  feel  as  if  I 
were  going  to  suffer  from  one  now ;  if  it  should  be  so, 
keep  the  fact  from  every  one." 

A  minute  later  the  Emperor  fell  back  in  his  chair,  be- 
coming livid.  At  that  moment  Talleyrand  was  alarm- 
ed by  a  knock  at  the  door,  and  an  A.D.C.  said  he  had 
brought  a  message  from  the  Empress.  Talleyrand  said 
the  Emperor  was  engaged  at  the  moment,  and  could  not 
be  disturbed.  The  A.D.C.  angrily  retired,  and  Talley- 
rand went  back  to  the  Emperor,  only  to  find  him  appar- 
ently dying.  In  great  terror  at  his  own  position,  he 
heard  a  loud  knock  at  the  door  and  found  the  Empress, 
annoyed  at  the  failure  of  her  messenger,  demanding 
admission.  Talleyrand  audaciously  gave  her  the  same 
answer  he  had  given  to  her  A.D.C,  and  giving  himself 
up  as  lost,  returned  to  find  the  Emperor's  pulse  beginning 
to  beat.     I  am  bound  to  say  that  one  of  the  party,  who 

267 


RECOLLECTIONS  1872- 

was  a  bit  of  a  cynic,  went  on  whispering  at  each  story, 
''Absolutely  untrue,"  "A  complete  fabrication,"  and 
so  on. 

On  the  very  clay  after  the  Bishop's  death  died  Lord 
"Westbury,  who  had  been  Lord  Palmerston's  Chancellor, 
a  man  of  great  ability,  a  clever  lawyer,  utterly  unscru- 
pulous, with  as  bitter  a  tongue  and  vitriolic  a  "\vit  as 
ever  cursed  their  possessor.  He  and  the  Bishop  hud 
many  acrimonious  disputes  in  the  House  of  Lords,  origi- 
nating with  Lord  Westbury's  applying  the  word  "  sapou- 
aceous  "  to  the  Bishop,  who  was  always  afterwards  called 
"  Soapy  Sam." 

The  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer,  Mr.  Lowe,  asked  me 
to  serve  on  a  royal  commission,  appointed  to  inquire 
into  the  administrative  departments  of  the  courts  of 
law,  an  offer  Avhich  I  gladly  accepted  as  giving  me  some 
work  beyond  my  own  department. 

Lord  Lisgar  was  our  chairman  ;  Baron  Bramwell,  "W. 
Law,  George  Trevelyan,  and  Mr.  Eowsell  were  also  on 
the  commission. 

We  worked  hard  and  proposed  many  reforms  which 
bore  fruits  in  the  High  Courts  of  Judicature  Bill.  AVe 
recommended  that  a  committee  should  be  appointed  to 
give  effect  to  further  reforms,  and  when  the  Tories  came 
in  they  appointed  it,  leaving  out  Bramwell,  Trevelyan, 
and  myself ! 

Various  causes,  and  the  desire  to  get  free  from  secre- 
tarial work  when  we  did  get  a  holiday,  had  postponed 
our  first  visit  to  Hawarden  till  1873. 

The  place  has  been  described  so  often  that  it  is  need- 
less to  go  over  ground  so  thoroughly  known  to  every- 
body interested  in  it. 

The  life  was  very  simple  and  somewhat  old-fashioned 
— good  plain  food,  regular  and  early  hours  ;  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Gladstone  going  to  church  every  morning  at  eight 

268 


1875  LIFE    AT    HAWARDEN 

and  returning  to  breakfast;  then  came  a  little  talk,  after 
which  Mr.  Gladstone  went  to  work  in  his  library,  to 
which  he  kindly  invited  me,  and  showed  me  his  corre- 
spondence ;  a  plain  luncheon  followed,  and  then  a  good 
walk  through  a  beautifully  wooded  park  tossed  about  in 
various  undulating  glades.  In  those  days  he  had  no 
favorite  dog,  and  so  the  talks  were  long,  uninterrupted, 
and  of  course  intensely  interesting  about  men  and  all 
sorts  of  subjects ;  but  rarely  was  a  walk  finished  without 
some  allusion  to  the  height  or  circumference  of  the  bole 
of  a  tree,  in  which  he  took  a  personal  interest.  Then 
always  five  -  o'clock  tea,  and  more  reading  till  dinner, 
when  he  held  forth  on  all  subjects;  but  the  one  that  de- 
lighted me  most  was  when  he  got  on  to  old  recollections 
and  memories  of  Lord  Aberdeen,  Sir  Robert  Peel,  and 
even  so  far  back  as  Eton  days  under  Keate. 

It  was  at  a  dinner  held  in  this  year,  where  Sir  Henry 
Storks'  and  Lord  Essex  were  present,  that  the  conver- 
sation turned  on  tree-felling,  on  which  Mr.  Gladstone, 
of  course,  was  a  great  authority.  He  had  often  told  me 
that  if  other  trades  failed  he  would  be  able  to  gain  full 
wages  as  a  timber-cutter.  Sir  Henry  Storks  said  he 
thought  that  for  the  future  trees  would  be  cut  down  by 
placing  a  ring  of  gun-cotton  round  them,  and  offered  to 
take  Mr.  Gladstone  down  to  Woolwich  to  show  him  some 
experiments.      Time  passed,  and  no  vacant  afternoon 

'  Sir  Henry  Storks,  who  was  a  very  distinguished  soldier  and 
Cleik  to  the  Ordnance,  commilted  the  error  of  going  Into  Parlia- 
ment at  the  age  of  seventy-two. 

One  night  George  Glyn  asked  him  to  stay  for  a  division,  and  in 
those  days  the  House  sat  often  till  three  or  four  o'clock  in  the 
morning. 

"Yes,"  he  said,  "I  will ;  but,  my  dear  George,  there  is  never  a 
morning  when  I  shave  myself  before  my  looking-glass  that  I  don't 
say:  '  Good  morning,  you  d— d  old  fool.' " 

269 


RECOLLECTIONS  1872- 

coiild  be  found  for  the  expedition,  which  Mr.  Gkdstone 
regretted. 

He  was  told  tliat  Sir  Frederick  Abel  was  prepared  to 
show  him  the  result  of  the  gun-cotton  necklace  on  a  mast 
to  be  erected  in  the  garden  in  Downing  Street,  which  I 
went  to  witness. 

Sir  Frederick  undertook  that  there  would  be  no  noise 
or  disturbance  of  any  kind.  When  I  arrived  at  the  gar- 
dens I  found  Ayrton,  then  First  Commissioner  of  Works, 
who  was  not  a  believer  in  scientists,  protesting  against 
the  experiment. 

On  Sir  Frederick  Abel's  assurance,  however,  the  ex- 
periment took  place,  and,  after  being  nearly  deafened 
by  a  terrific  report,  I  found  myself  under  a  shower  of 
broken  glass,  which  fell  from  the  skylight  in  the  First 
Lord's  house.  All  the  adjoining  windows  that  were  open 
were  destroyed,  and,  contrary  to  the  common  belief, 
those  that  were  shut  escaped  the  almost  universal  smash, 
the  noise  of  which  was  heard  in  Hyde  Park. 

There  was  only  one  person  who  rejoiced,  and  that  was 
the  triumphant  Ayrton.  Theories  were  exploded  as  well 
as  gun-cotton. 

On  December  10th  Mr.  Gladstone  wrote  to  me  asking 
for  some  remarks  on  the  extravagance  of  the  Indian 
Council,  about  which  we  had  conversed  at  Hawarden : 

"  Hawardes  Castle,  Chester,  December  10,  1873. 

"  My  dear  West, — You  gave  me  a  kind  of  promise  to  supply  me 
with  materials  for  the  purpose  of  showing  tliat  the  India  Office  is 
less  economical  in  administration  (perhaps  also  in  its  composition) 
than  our  government  generally  is,  or  than  Treasury  principles,  so 
to  call  them,  would  require. 

"I  have  at  present  only  a  strong,  a  very  strong,  suspicion  but 
no  particulars.  If  you  could  supply  them  I  thiuli  it  would  be  of 
great  use  in  a  not  improbable  contingency. 

"  In  my  opinion  it  would  be  of  great  advantage  that  one  place  at 
the  Council  table  should  be  tilled  on  the  nomination  of  the  Board 

270 


1875  THE    ELECTION    OF    1874 

of  Treasury  ;  and  that  the  person  so  appointed  should  be  invested 
with  tlie  title  to  record  his  reasons  officially  against  any  proposed 
expendituie  where  he  considers  it  to  be  contrary  to  any  rule  estab- 
lished for  Imperial  administration. 

"Yours -sincerely, 

"W.  E.  Gladstone." 

Mr.  Lowe  had  wished  me  to  be  appointed  as  a  coun- 
cillor, and  I  wrote  him  a  long  letter  in  answer,  which  is 
too  personal  to  publish  here. 

Mr.  Gladstone  was  defeated  on  his  Irish  Education 
Bill  by  a  curious  combination  of  Tories,  Eoman  Catho- 
lics, and  discontented  Liberals,  and  at  once  resigned  ;  but 
the  Conservatives  were  not  ready,  and  cleverly  contrived 
to  keep  Mr.  Gladstone  in  office. 

One  Sunday  I  met  Mr.  Gladstone  at  the  Chapel  Royal, 
and  had  a  talk  with  him  about  recent  elections  which  had 
gone  against  the  government. 

The  next  day  he  had  a  bad  cold  and  was  kept  in  bed 
for  a  short  time.  Here  it  was  that  he  hatched  his  plot 
of  a  dissolution.  Coming  home  from  a  dance  at  Sir 
William  Stephenson's,  I  found  a  note  from  Gurdon  tell- 
ing me  wliat  was  to  appear  next  morning  —  the  disso- 
lution and  the  proposed  abolition  of  the  income -tax. 
Nothing  could  exceed  the  popularity  of  the  movement 
at  the  moment,  and  I  received  quite  an  ovation  at  the 
Cosmopolitan  a  few  days  afterwards. 

Then  came  the  disastrous  election  of  1874 — a  wholesale 
defeat,  horse  and  foot — and  it  became  a  matter  of  con- 
sideration whether  or  not  the  government  should  meet 
Parliament  or  resign. 

Mr.  Gladstone  wrote  to  me  on  the  subject  of  his  ar- 
rangements : 

"  10  Dowxi.NG  Street,  Whitehall,  February  10,  1874 
"  My  dear  West, — Many  thanks  for  your  useful  note. 
"  (1)  I  see  no  reason  why  a  vote  of  credit  should  not  be  given  at 
any  time  after  a  new  Ministry  was  constituted  in  its  main  offices, 

271 


HE  COL  LECTIONS  1872- 

s;iy  Miircli  20tli  or  23il ;  tlic  Easter  holidays  need  not  begin  until 
April  1st,  2(1,  or  even  3d.  'I'his  could  be'done  by  the  Secretary  to 
the  Treasury,  perhaps  even  by  the  outgoinc:  government. 

"  (2)  I  think  it  would  be  found  that  in  1852  and  1858  the  govern- 
ment, taking  otHce  in  February,  required  a  very  short  time  to  make 
up  its  mind  about  the  estimates,  and  I  should  not  have  thoiigiit 
it  impossible  that  the  estimates  could  be  laid,  on  the  responsibility 
of  the  new  government,  in  Passion  Week,  but  neither  would  be 
necessary. 

"  Yours  ever,  ,,  -^   EG" 

I  had  accordingly  the  pleasure  of  going  into  the  whole 
question  of  dates  and  possibilities  and  precedents  since 
the  Duke  of  Portland's  time  in  1807,  with  that  most 
charming  authority  on  all  Parliamentary  knowledge.  Sir 
Erskine  May,  Clerk  to  Parliaments 

Coming  home  one  February  evening,  I  was  met  by  my 
wife,  who  told  me  that  as  she  was  driving  back  by  the  park, 
near  Knightsbridge,  there  were  great  sparks  from  some 
huge  fire  falling  around  her ;  so  we  instantly  started  forth 
in  the  direction  of  the  blaze,  which  we  could  now  plain- 
ly see  was  somewhere  in  Belgravia.  We  reached  "Wilton 
Place,  and  were  admitted  into  the  house  of  Lady  Geor- 
giana  Bathurst,  from  whose  windows  the  fierce  flames  of 
the  Pantechnicon  were  painfully  glaring.  The  windows 
grew  so  hot  that  it  was  impossible  to  touch  the  glass 
with  our  hands.  Lady  Georgiana  was  crippled  with 
rheumatism,  and  arrangements  had  to  be  made  for  her 
removal,  in  case  the  flames  spread  to  her  house,  which 
happily  they  did  not,  and  we,  having  some  people  dining 
with  us  in  Chesterfield  Street,  were  obliged  to  return  ; 
but  after  dinner  Sir  Reginald  Welby  and  I  returned  to 
see  the  end  of  one  of  the  biggest  conflagrations  of  our  day. 
The  sky  seemed  ablaze,  and  the  modern  Calphurnia  might 
liave  said  :  "  The  heavens  themselves  blaze  forth  the 
death  of  princes,"  for  within  three  days  Mr.  Gladstone's 
great  government  of  1868-74  had  ceased  to  exist. 

272 


1875  FROUDE    AND    KINGSLEY 

Never  was  there  a  government  to  compare  with  that  of 
Mr.  Gladstone's  of  1868.  The  Irisli  grievance  of  a  domi- 
nant Protestant  Church  of  the  minority  was  abolished. 
National  education  was  established.  Purchase  in  the 
army  was  done  way  with.  The  Ballot  Bill  for  the  pro- 
tection of  voters  was  passed  into  law.  The  foolish  Ec- 
clesiastical Bill  was  repealed.  The  Alabama  arbitration 
opened  up  a  vista  of  peace  instead  of  war  to  the  nations 
of  the  world.  Neutrality  was  maintained  throughout 
the  terrible  Franco-German  war  ;  while  on  his  defeat  Mr. 
Gladstone  left  a  surplus  of  £5,000,000  to  his  successor, 
after  having  reduced  taxation  and  paid  oS  £26,000,000 
of  the  national  debt. 

In  all  this  work  Mr.  Gladstone  was  the  guiding  and 
presiding  genius,  and  it  was  not  wonderful  that  he  spent 
bis  majority. 

Before  this  had  come,  however,  I  had  ceased  to  be  his 
secretary,  and  had  become  a  Commissioner  of  Inland 
Revenue ;  but  on  his  return  to  office  he  kindly  allowed 
me  to  see  all  his  correspondence,  though,  of  course,  I 
took  no  part  in  political  work. 

Notwithstanding  the  performances  of  the  1868-74  gov- 
ernment, Fronde  so  far  forgot  the  duties  of  the  historian 
in  the  party  man  that  he  deliberately  stated  that  Mr. 
Gladstone's  government  had  nothing  to  show  but  revolu- 
tionary measures  in  Ireland,  which  had  hitherto  been 
unattended  by  success.  Voild  comment  on  ecrit  Vhis- 
toire  ! 

The  following  lines,  which  were  suggested  by  certain 
utterances  of  Froude  and  Kingsley,  might  fittingly  be 
quoted  here  : 

"Froude  informs  the  Scottish  youth 
That  parsons  never  tell  the  truth  ; 
At  Cambridge  Canon  Kingsley  cries 
That  history's  a  pack  of  lies. 
S  273 


RECOLLECTIONS  1872- 

Such  statements  how  can  we  corabiue  ? 

Tliis  perliaps  expluiiis  the  mystery, 
Froude  thinks  Kingsley  a  divine, 

And  Kiugsley  looks  to  Froude  for  history." 

In  the  Slimmer  we  let  our  house  in  Chesterfield  Street 
to  Mr.  Stanley,  and  took  a  house  at  Datchet  till  the  late 
autumn,  when  we  went  to  Hill  House,  and  spent  much 
of  our  time  on  the  river ;  the  C.  Hambros,  Monty  Corry, 
Welby,  and  the  Charles  Stephensons  and  Lord  Morley, 
constantly  making  up  the  crew  of  a  famous  four  oar  of 
Welby's. 

"When  we  were  staying  at  Walmer,  Lord  Granville  was 
very  anxiotis  that  our  eldest  son,  Horace,  should  serve 
an  apprenticeship  to  Mr.  Thomas,  the  famous  landscape 
gardener,  arguing  he  was  the  only  man  at  the  head  of 
the  most  charming  profession  in  the  world,  and  that  he 
had  no  one  to  fill  his  place  when  he  should  grow  older. 

He  wrote  on  the  subject  to  Mr.  Thomas,  who  an- 
swered:  "  Once  bitten  twice  shy.  I  have  tried  one  gen- 
tleman and  will  never  try  another."  But  Lord  Granville 
w^ould  not  abandon  the  idea,  and  afterwards  wrote  to 
me  the  following  letter  : 

"  Walmkr  Castle,  Deal,  September  23,  1874. 

"My  drar  West, — I  have  been  thinking  over  my  failure  with 
Thomas  respecting  your  boy.  I  regret  it,  as  Thomas  himself  told 
me  that  there  was  hardly  any  one  in  his  profession,  notwithstand- 
ing the  passion  all  classes  in  this  country  have  for  improving  or 
spoiling  the  parks  and  gardens  which  they  inherit,  buy,  or  erect. 

"Thomas  has  the  advantage  of  being  a  gentleman,  not  shy,  and 
pleasant ;  but  he  is  evidently  not  a  clever  man.  If  he  took  j'our 
son  the  advantage  would  rather  be  in  the  connection  and  the  suc- 
cession than  in  the  learning. 

"  There  are  some  great  landscape  gardeners  in  France — the  man 
who  made  the  new  Bois  de  Boulogne,  and  others  who  have  been 
employed  by  the  La  Rochefoucaulds,  etc. 

"  In  all  probability  lliey  have  more  knowledge  of  the  principles 
of  their  art  than  Thomas,  and  at  least  as  much  taste ;  they  would 

274 


1875     DEATH    OF    LADY    BARRINGTON 

probably  be  more  accessible  to  a  premium,  particularly  with  an 
Englishman,  wlio  would  not  become  a  rival  in  France,  and  might 
introduce  them  to  a  connection  in  England.  They  would  teach 
French  for  nothing. 

"If  your  boy  has  a  turn  for  drawing  and  construction,  after  a 
year  or  two  of  study  of  French  gardening  and  landscape  garden- 
ing, an  architect  like  Devey  might  make  use  of  him  for  the  out- 
door part  of  his  work,  and  lie  might  push  himself  into  the  tolerably 
lucrative  and  very  pleasant  occupation  of  the  English  "Le  Notre" 
of  the  generation. 

"  It  is  not  clear  that  Thomas  might  not  be  too  glad  to  get  hold  of 
bim  at  the  end  of  that  time. — Yours,  "Granville  " 

Later  ou  the  same  dear  friend  asked  Mr.  Devey  to 
give  our  youngest  son  a  chance  of  entering  the  "  de- 
lightful profession  "  of  an  architect,  which  he  did  ;  and 
though  Mr.  Devey's  early  death  sundered  the  friendship 
which  was  begun  so  auspiciously  between  them,  the  edu- 
cation our  son  had  received  from  him  remained,  to  which 
I  am  sure  he  will  attribute  a  great  part  of  his  present 
success. 

In  the  spring  of  1875,  Lady  Caroline  Barrington,  my 
wife's  mother,  caught  a  chill,  and  died  at  Kensington 
Palace.  Lady  Caroline  Barrington  was  the  third  daugh- 
ter of  Charles,  Earl  Grey.  In  1827  she  was  married  to 
Captain  Hon.  George  Barrington,  R.N.,  who  was  a  Lord 
of  the  Admiralty  in  Lord  Grey's  administration.  He 
died  in  1835,  and  Lady  Caroline  had  lived  with  her 
father  at  Howick  until  she  was  appointed  Lady  of  the 
Bedchamber  to  the  Queen,  and  took  up  her  residence 
at  Windsor.  She  subsequently  became  Lady  Superin- 
tendent on  Lady  Lyttelton's  retirement  from  that  post. 
Nothing  could  exceed  the  kindness  of  all  the  royalties, 
who  were  devoted  to  her.  The  Prince  of  Wales,  the 
Duke  of  Edinburgli,  Prince  Louis  of  Hesse,  the  Duke  of 
Connaught,  and  Prince  Christian  attended  her  funeral 
at  Kensal  Green. 

275 


R  E  C  0  L  L  E  C  T  I  0  N  S  1872-1875 

"We  let  our  liouso  in  Cliesterfield  Street  and  took  the 
new  liouse  at  Wimbledon,  wliicb  belonged  to  Dr.  Sand- 
witb,  one  of  the  heroes  of  Kars.  Charles  Barrington 
came  and  lived  here  with  ns  till  the  autum]i,  when  we 
moved  farther  off  and  took  a  little  place  near  Fairmile 
Common,  Esher. 

One  evening  we  were  standing  on  the  road  when  we 
heard  the  shuffling  steps  of  an  old  man  passing  by;  as 
soon  as  he  had  done  so  he  sank  on  the  bank,  and  on  onr 
going  to  his  assistance  he  said  :  ''I  mostly  "as  a  fit  going 
up  'ill."  I  asked  him  where  he  was  going,  and  he  re- 
plied:  ''Down  there  towards  Cobham."  I,  trying  to 
cheer  him,  said:  "That's  all  right,  as  it  is  down-hill  all 
the  way."  ''Ah!"  said  he;  "that's  the  worst  of  it;  I 
always  pitches  on  my  'ead  going  down  'ill."  And  yet 
he  had  in  that  hilly  country  been  out  for  a  long  day's 
pleasuring! 

Lady  Hose,  who  of  all  the  women  I  ever  knew  was  the 
brightest  and  most  witty,  was  much  amused  at  this  story, 
and  told  me  that,  asking  a  poor  woman  once  how  her 
husband  was,  the  reply  came  :  "  Oh,  he  is  better  to-day ; 
and  indeed,  I  have  always  remarked  that  if  he  gets 
through  May,  he  generally  lives  through  the  rest  of  the 
year." 


CHAPTER  XIV 

1875-1879 

Mr.  Gladstone's  Motive  in  Retiring  from  the  Leadership — Lord 
Granville  on  the  House  of  Lords — Visit  to  Tintagel — Dinner 
with  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury — Hawker  of  Morwenstow 
—Sir  George  Treveljan's  Life  of  Macmilny—Mw  Gladstone  on 
Croker  in  the  Quarterly/— Lord  Lyttel  ton's  Death— Mr.  Glad- 
stone's Speech  at  Blackheath  on  the  Bulgarian  Atrocities — His 
Literary  Conversations  —  Mr.  Gladstone's  Hat  —  Verger  the 
Phrenologist — Mr.  Gladstone's  Use  of  Unparliamentary  Lan- 
guage—His Letter  to  Mr.  Herries — My  Appointment  as  Deputj^- 
Chairman  of  the  Inland  Revenue  Board — Visit  to  Hawarden  in 
1878 — Mr.  Gladstone's  Estimates  of  Forster  and  Lowe — Lord 
Lawrence  and  Lord  Lytton — Anecdote  of  Sir  Drummond  Wolff 
— Mr.  John  Murray  on  Successful  Authors — Stamp  Reform:  My 
Victory  over  Weli)y — Letter  from  Mr.  Lingen — Marriage  of  the 
Duke  of  Counaught — Visit  to  Studley. 

Mr.  Gladstone  retired  from  the  leadership  of  the 
Opposition  in  the  House  of  Commons,  partly  from  a 
desire  of  rest,  but  mainly,  I  think,  from  his  dislike  of 
daily  confronting  Mr.  Disraeli,  a  man  so  utterly  opposed 
to  him,  not  only  in  politics,  but  in  thoughts,  tastes,  and 
desires.  It  was  necessary  to  choose  a  leader,  and  it  lay 
between  Mr.  Forster  and  Lord  Hartington ;  naturally 
the  House  of  Commons  preferred  the  Duke's  son.  Lord 
Granville  told  me  very  truly,  that  while  tlie  House  of 
Lords  daily  sank  in  the  estimation  of  the  country,  the 
love  of  the  individual  lord  increased  in  proportion. 

In  February  there  M'as  a  question  of  my  transfer  from 

277 


RECOLLECTIONS  1875- 

the  Board  of  Inland  Eevenue  to  the  Under-Secretaryship 
of  the  India  Office,  which  Mr.  Ghidstone  rather  favored; 
but  it  was  settled  otherwise. 

In  the  autumn  we  paid  a  visit  to  Lady  Hayter,  who 
had  inherited  from  Mr.  Cook,  the  editor  of  the  Saturdaij 
Review,  a  cottage  at  Tintagel,  which  in  tliose  days  was 
over  twenty  miles  distant  from  a  railway  station.  In 
this  far-off  county,  the  Bodmin  and  Wadebridge  line  was 
one  of  the  first  opened  to  the  public  by  the  London  and 
South-Western  Railway  Company,  in  the  room  of  whose 
chairman  may  be  seen  a  picture  of  the  train  and  its 
open  carriages ;  in  front  of  the  engine  and  between  the 
buffers  sat  a  man  whose  business  it  was  to  get  down  and 
open  the  gates.  It  was  a  great  charni  to  us  jaded  Lon- 
doners to  get  to  this  wild  country.  On  our  way  Ave 
passed  through  one  of  the  pre-Reform  close  boroughs  of 
Cornwall— Camelford — which  had  the  honor  of  return- 
ing Lord  Henry  Petty,  afterwards  Lord  Lansdowne,  and 
Henry,  afterwards  Lord  Brougliam. 

All  our  time  was  spent  in  expeditions  to  King  Arthur's 
Castle,  to  Rough  Tor,  Brown  Willy,  and  Slaughter  Bridge, 
near  tlie  scene  of  that  great  battle  in  the  AVest,  where 
rumor  says  King  Arthur  lies  buried. 

When  staying  here  we  got  a  message  from  the  genial 
rector,  saying  that  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  was 
coming  to  pass  the  night  at  liis  house,  and  asking  the 
whole  party  to  meet  him  at  dinner,  and  to  bring  all  our 
servants  to  wait. 

We  were  a  joyous  party,  and  all  day  long  we  had  a 
misgiving  that  we  should  indecorously  laugh  at  the 
wrong  moment.  The  hour  and  the  dinner  came,  and 
all  went  smoothly  until  a  fine  dish  of  Cornish  junket 
appeared  in  Mr,  Kinsman's  best  china  bowl;  which, 
however,  had  been  mended.  Just  as  my  servant  was 
handing  it,  the  piece  broke  away,  and  the  whole  junket 

278 


1879         HAWKER    OF   MORWENSTOW 

poured  over  our  host's  best  evening  coat.  "  God — "  he 
exclaimed  ;  and  then  in  a  tone  subdued  in  deference  to 
his  guest,  "bless  the  Queen" — whereupon  we  all  burst 
into  uncontrolled  laughter,  and  the  rest  of  the  evening 
was  most  merry. 

During  one  of  our  visits  we  were  tempted  to  pass  a 
night  at  Bude,  and  to  drive  over  the  following  day  to  a 
sale  at  Morwenstow,  the  house  of  the  Rev.  Robert  Haw- 
ker, who  had  recently  died.  In  early  manhood  he  had 
married  an  old  lady,  who  paid  the  expenses  of  his  edu- 
cation at  college  ;  and  in  late  life  turned  the  tables  by 
marrying  a  very  young  wife.  He  was  eccentric  in  his 
dress,  his  manners,  and  his  ways,  and  worked  hard  in 
rescuing  victims  of  the  savage  wreckers  of  the  Cornish 
coast.     He  was  also  a  poet,  and  was  the  author  of 

"And  shall  Trelawney  die? 
And  shall  Trelawney  die  ? 
Then  thirty  thousand  Cornish  boys 
Will  know  the  reason  why." 

The  miners  from  the  caverns  re-echoed  the  song : 

"Then  twenty  thousand  underground 
Will  know  the  reason  why." 

These  lines  were  quoted  by  Macaulay  in  his  His- 
tory as  being  an  old  Cornish  ballad.  On  discovering 
that  this  was  a  modern  song  of  Mr.  Hawker's,  instead 
of  a  real  song  of  Cornish  miners  at  the  time  of  the  trial 
of  the  seven  bishops,  Macaulay  must  have  been  as  dis- 
appointed as  I  was  on  finding  that  the  "'Wearin'  of  the 
Green"  was  not  a  revolutionary  ballad  of  1T98,  but,  in 
the  form  we  know  it,  was  evolved  from  the  quick  and 
poetical  brain  of  Boucicault,  for  his  play  of  the  "Colleen 
Bawn." 

In  the  beginning  of  the  year  1876,  George  Trevelyan's 

279 


RECOLLECTIONS  1875- 

deliglitful  Biogra2)hy  of  Lord  Macaulay  appeured.  In 
it  there  were  some  very  severe  remarks  on  Joliu  Wil- 
son Croker,  which  were  sliown  to  his  widow,  who  was 
onr  next-door  neighbor;  slic  was  natnrally  unhappy,  and 
to  please  her  I  wrote  to  Trevelyan,  who  was  very  kind, 
and  promised  to  expunge  the  objectionable  passages  from 
his  next  edition,  regretting  their  insertion.  I  also,  at 
Mrs.  Croker's  request,  saw  Mr.  Gladstone  and  got  his 
authority  to  ask  Mr.  John  Murray  if  he  would  insert 
an  article  in  the  Quarterly  on  the  biography,  in  which 
Mr.  Gladstone  said  he  would  put  Croker  in  a  truer 
position. 

In  talking  over  Lord  Macaulay's  character  Mr.  Glad- 
stone remarked  that  he  never  had  any  idea  of  propor- 
tion, and  often  would  absolutely  despise  an  opponent 
who  the  world  thought  was  nearly  his  equal;  aiul  this 
was  the  case  with  Croker,  who  was,  no  doubt,  a  formi- 
dable antagonist.  Mr.  Gladstone  wrote  his  article,  which, 
while  most  complimentary  to  Trexelyan'a  Bioyraphy ,  had 
the  merit  of  making  poor  IVErs.  Croker  satisfied. 

Going  to  him  one  morning  I  learned  that  Lord  Lyttel- 
ton,  in  a  fit  of  depression,  had  destroyed  himself.  ]\Ir. 
Gladstone,  whose  life-long  friend  he  had  been,  was  deeply 
grieved  ;  he  told  me  how  he  partly  laid  the  blame  at  his 
own  door,  for  he  had  met  him  a  day  or  two  before  at 
dinner,  and  had  made  a  suggestion  to  him  to  commence 
a  concordance  of  the  Odyssey,  as  he  was  the  only  person 
who  could  do  it  satisfactorily.  "I  did  not,''  he  added, 
"  press  it  upon  him  as  vigorously  as  I  should  have  done, 
for,  had  I  succeeded,  the  work  would  have  interested 
liim  and  occupied  his  attention,  and  perhaps  might  have 
saved  him  from  himself." 

It  was  in  this  year  that  Mr.  Gladstone  was  the  mouth- 
piece of  the  nation  in  denouncing  the  massacres  known 
as  the  Bulgarian  atrocities,  and  I  heard  him  address  a 

280 


1879         MR.    GLADSTONE'S    MEMORY 

meeting  of  ten  thousand  people  at  Blackheath,  wliither  I 
went  with  Lord  Cavrington  and  my  son  Horace,  and  shall 
never  forget  the  effect  of  his  magic  voice  and  delivery. 
There  was  a  knot  of  people  bent  on  interruption,  who, 
in  little  more  than  a  few  moments,  were  reduced  into 
imwilling  silence,  and  soon  after  into  rapt  attention  and 
enthusiastic  applause. 

We  were  now  living  at  Kensington  Palace,  and  Mr. 
Gladstone,  having  no  London  house,  came  Avith  Mrs. 
Gladstone  to  pay  us  a  visit.  We  had  in  his  honor  many 
pleasant  little  political  dinners,  which  reminded  us  of 
our  dinners  on  Thursdays  when  we  were  in  Downing 
Street,  of  which  only  the  memory  remains.  But  it  is  a 
bright  memory  of  Mr.  Gladstone  as  the  central  figure, 
ever  brimming  over  with  earnest  talk,  to  which  the  whole 
dinner-party  listened  with  rapt  attention. 

Tims  I  remember  how  Mr.  Gladstone,  in  comparing 
George  Eliot  and  Sir  Walter  Scott,  remarked  on  the  un- 
satisfactory nature  of  all  the  former's  marriages. 

"But,"  said  Mrs.  Neville  Lyttelton,  "Scott's  are  so 
colorless." 

"  Colorless !"  he  said ;  "what  do  you  say  to  Meg  Merri- 
lies  and  Rebecca  ?" 

"Neither  was  married,"  said  Mrs.  Lyttelton.  Mr. 
Gladstone  did  not  answer,  but  went  on  to  say  : 

"  How  well  I  recollect,  as  a  boy,  lying  on  my  stomach 
on  the  grass,  reading  Sir  Walter  Scott's  novels  as  they 
came  out  in  numbers  I" 

After  one  of  his  great  speeches  he  asked  Mrs,  Lyttel- 
ton after  Mrs.  Olive,  instead  of  her  mother,  Mrs.  Stu- 
art -  Wortley,  and,  detecting  his  mistake,  he  groaned 
over  what  he  called  "the  lamentable  state  of  his  mem- 
ory." 

"  But,"  she  said,  "  through  all  your  long  Liverpool 
speech  you  never  referred  to  a  note." 

281 


RECOLLECTIONS  1875- 

*' Ah/'  he  said,"  of  coarse  if  I  make  an  effort  I  can  re- 
member." 

Mr.  Gladstone  constantly  told  us  that  nearly  every 
year  he  was  obliged  to  have  his  hat  enlarged.  ''I  always 
stick  to  mine/' he  said,  "as  there  are  only  two  men 
whose  hats  I  could  ever  get  on  my  head — one  the  Duke 
of  Newcastle's,  the  other  Lord  ^tanhoiie's.  The  latter 
was  a  very  remarkable  man,  though  not  conspicuous  in 
Parliament,  and  a  stanch  friend.  We  entered  Parlia- 
mentary life  together  as  followers  of  Sir  Robert  Peel;  we 
afterwards  diverged,  but  it  never  affected  our  friend- 
ship." 

Lord  Stanhope  was  responsible  for  taking  him  to  a  man 
called  Verger,  who,  he  said,  classified  qualities  according 
to  certain  bumps  on  the  skull  by  placing  one  hand  on  the 
head,  and  his  other  on  some  conducting  medium  with 
corresponding  circles,  and  thus  defined  the  character. 
Mr.  Gladstone  rather  believed  in  him,  as  he  told  him  how 
many  qualities  he  was  deficient  in,  among  others  in  the 
retention  and  memory  of  faces,  which  was  true. 

In  June,  1877,  I  met  Mr.  Gladstone  at  dinner  at  Mrs. 
Milbank's,  and  repeated  to  him  what  Lord  13eaconsfield 
had  told  Sir  William  Stephenson  on  his  recommending 
Mr.  Herries  as  his  successor :  "  These  appointments 
should  be  considered  not  as  official  promotions,  but  as 
political  prizes,"  and,  therefore,  I  considered  our  chances 
of  succession  small.  "D — n  him,"  said  Mr.  Gladstone; 
and  this,  after  a  long  and  close  intercourse,  was  the  first 
of  only  two  occasions  on  which  I  ever  heard  him  nuike 
use  of  an  unparliamentary  expression. 

On  the  second  occasion  he  was  talking  of  oratory  in 
the  House  of  Commons,  and  regretting  that  classical 
quotations  were  no  longer  appreciated.  He  instanced 
Pitt's  quotation  from  Virgil  in  his  speech  on  the  slave 
trade,  which  he  considered  one  of  the  most  apposite  he 

383 


1879      QUOTATIONS    IN    THE    HOUSE 

knew,  and  added:  ''If  a  quotation  were  made  in  the 
House  now,  they  would  not  care  about  it  a  d — n." 

The  quotation,  and  the  words  preceding  it  which  I 
have  referred  to,  ran  as  follows : 

"'  Then  also  will  Europe,  participating  in  her  (Africa's) 
improvement  and  prosperity,  receive  an  ample  recom- 
pense for  the  tardy  kindness  (if  kindness  it  can  be  called) 
of  no  longer  hindering  that  continent  from  extricating 
herself  out  of  the  darkness,  which  in  other  more  fortu- 
nate regions  has  been  so  much  more  speedily  dispelled: 

"'Nos  primus  equis  Oriens  afflavit  anbelis: 
Illic  sera  rubens  accendit  lumina  Vesper.'" 

It  was  at  the  end  of  June  that  Lord  Beaconsfield  gave 
the  chairmanship  of  the  Board  of  Inland  Eevenue  to 
Herries,  and  this  was  the  note  he  received  from  Mr. 
Gladstone  on  his  appointment: 

"  73  Harley  Street,  June  19,  1877. 

"Dear Mr.  Herries, — I  hope  I  do  not  take  an  undue  liberty  in 
congratulating  you  on  your  arrival  at  the  head  of  your  great  depart- 
ment. 

"  My  long-continued  official  relations  with  you  enable  me  in  some 
degree  to  bear  willing  testimony  to  the  wisdom  and  justice  of  the 
selection  which  the  government  have  made. 

"  You  follow  a  series  of  admirable  chiefs,  and  I  feel  assured  you 
will  be  able  to  maintain  the  high  level  of  the  tradition. 

"  In  all  my  many  transactions  with  the  Board  of  Inland  Revenue, 
I  found  continually  increasing  reason  to  admire  the  sound  and  en- 
lightened spirit  of  the  department;  and  I  do  not  recollect  so  much  as 
a  single  instance  either  of  rashness  or  of  slackness  in  the  transaction 
of  that  mass  of  business  which  it  was  my  duty  and  my  pleasure  to 

carry  on  by  their  aid. 

"  W.  E.  Gladstone." 

The  appointment  of  Deputy  was  kept  in  abeyance, 
though,  of  course,  I  discharged  the  duties  of  the  place 
until  the  end  of  the  session.      On  my  asking  Lord  Bea- 

283 


RECOLLECTIONS  1875- 

consfield's  secretary  whether  there  was  any  cliance  of  the 
appointment  being  completed,  lie  said:  "It  is  difficult  to 
say,  when  one  of  my  chief's  mottoes  is  :  '  Depend  upon  it, 
delay  is  the  secret  of  success/  " 

On  August  13th,  I  heard  from  Lord  Beaconsfield  offer- 
ing me  the  appointment  of  Deputy,  and  Walter  North- 
cote,  Sir  Stafford's  eldest  son,  was  appointed  in  my  place, 
Mr.  Gladstone  wrote  to  me  the  following  letter  : 

"  Ha  WARDEN  Castle,  Chester,  Augmt  15, 1877. 

"My  deau  West,— I  send  you  on  the  part  of  ull  hore  a  line  of 
hearty  congratulation,  and  I  also  congratulate  tlie  public  on  an  ap- 
pointment so  conducive  to  its  interests. 

"  I  have  always  looked  on  the  Board  of  Inland  Revenue  as  nearly 
approaching— so  to  speak— the  ideal,  and  I  am  sure  it  will  not  de- 
generate under  present  circumstances. 

"  Smith  must  be  a  loss  to  you  ;  and  it  is  uncertain  till  he  is 
further  proved  what  gain  he  will  be  to  the  Admiralty.  Stanley  is 
clever,  but  can  an  heir  to  the  earldom  of  Derby  ilescend  to  the  sav- 
ing of  candle-ends,  which  is  very  much  the  measure  of  a  good  Secre- 
tary to  the  Treasur}^  ? 

"Pray  remember  us  if  you  come  northwards,  and  believe  me, 
most  sincerely  yours, 

"W.  E.  Gladstone." 

In  the  following  November  we  paid  a  visit  to  Hawar- 
den;  and  after  dinner  Mr.  Gladstone  discussed  at  great 
length  the  difficulties  attending  the  formation  of  a  new 
Liberal  government.  It  is  always  supposed  that  Mr. 
Gladstone  did  not  understand  men  ;  but  if  he  did  not,  he 
could  nevertheless  make  very  shrewd  guesses  as  to  their 
capabilities,  erring,  no  doubt,  too  often  on  the  lenient 
side.  Mr.  Lowe  he  considered  a  man  fitted  by  nature  for 
offence  rather  than  defence,  stronger  in  opposition  than 
in  office.  He  was  always  impressed  with  the  ability  and 
honesty  of  Mr.  W.  E.  Forster ;  but  he  was  well  aware  that 
with  them  was  combined  a  strong  ingredient  of  vanity 
and  want  of  ta^t.      I  think  it  was  Bishop  Wilberforce 

284 


1879  INDIAN    POLICY 

wlio  said  that  if  any  man  prided  himself  more  especially 
on  one  quality,  the  chances  were  strongly  in  favor  of  his 
being  deficient  in  it. 

It  was  about  this  time  that  Lord  Lawrence,  with  all 
his  authority,  had  been  denouncing  Lord  Lytton's  un- 
happy policy  in  regard  to  Afghanistan,  which  led  to  such 
disastrous  results. 

Notwithstanding  Lord  Salisbury's  positive  assurances 
that  no  attempt  had  been  made  to  force  an  envoy  on  the 
Ameer,  that  our  relations  with  him  had  not  since  last 
year  undergone  any  material  change,  and  that  his  feel- 
ings were  in  no  way  embittered  towards  the  British  gov- 
ernment, Lord  Lawrence  endeavored  to  raise  the  coun- 
try against  the  policy  of  Lord  Lytton,  who  said  that  the 
opinion  of  his  private  secretary  was  worth  twenty  Law- 
rences. With  this  object  a  committee  was  being  formed, 
and  while  I  was  at  Hawarden  a  telegram  arrived  asking 
Mr.  Gladstone  to  join  it. 

Personally  he  was  inclined  to  accede  to  the  proposal, 
and  thus  give  a  cue  to  the  party ;  but  he  ended  by  con- 
sulting Lord  Granville,  though  he  thought  him  apt  to 
take  too  many  people  into  his  confidence;  so  unlike,  he 
said,  to  Peel,  who  only  took  a  very  few. 

Lord  Grey  and  Lord  Halifax  had  written,  the  former 
vigorously,  favoring  an  agitation  for  the  summoning  of 
Parliament ;  but  Lord  Granville,  while  approving  of  the 
object  of  the  committee,  was  opposed  to  Mr.  Gladstone 
or  himself  being  members  of  it. 

After  this  the  conversation  reverted,  as  it  so  often  did, 
to  his  early  conceptions  of  Peel,  who,  except  on  a  few 
points,  was  essentially  Liberal,  indeed  far  more  so  than 
Palmerstou  ever  was. 

He  thought  O'Connell,  except  perhaps  Mirabeau,  the 
greatest  demagogue  that  ever  lived,  and  in  that  way 
superior  even  to  Bright. 

285 


RECOLLECTIONS  18V5- 

We  then  turned  to  anotlier  favorite  subject  of  liis,  and 
naturally  of  mine — the  Inland  Revenue  Department.  He 
laid  down  as  an  axiom  that  the  chairman  of  that  board 
should  always,  in  forming  his  estimates,  be  guided  in 
forecasting  the  revenue  for  the  coming  year  by  what, 
humanly  speaking,  he  was  sure  of  getting,  and  it  was  the 
duty  of  the  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer  to  accept  it. 
He  but  once,  in  his  nine  years'  experience  as  Chancellor  of 
the  Exchequer,  ventured  to  alter  estimates  given  him  by 
the  Chairman  of  the  Inland  Revenue  Board,  and  in  that 
instance  only  differed  from  him  as  to  how  much  revenue 
would  be  lost  by  altering  the  incidence  of  the  income  tax. 

I  often  wonder  at  the  closeness  with  which  revenue 
estimates  for  a  coming  year  are  made.  In  the  eleven 
years  during  which  I  was  Chairman  of  the  Inland  Rev- 
enue Board — thanks  to  the  efficient  help  of  my  advisers 
— the  returns  exceeded  my  estimates  only  by  £500,000 
on  an  average. 

Incidentally  Drumniond  Wolff  came  under  discussion, 
and  I  told  Mr.  Gladstone  that,  with  one  exception,  I  did 
not  believe  Wolff  bore  animosity  to  any  one.  As  an  in- 
stance of  his  diplomatic  talent,  I  told  Mr.  Gladstone 
that  I  was  once  sitting  with  Wolff  in  the  portico  of  the 
Athenaeum  when  a  notorious  bore  appeared.  Wolff  was 
equal  to  the  occasion  and  shook  hands  with  him  warmly, 
saying:  "Good-bye,  good-bye."  The  bore  was  so  taken 
aback  that  he  speedily  retreated. 

The  next  day  arrived  Lord  Bath  and  Mr.  Dodson  at 
Hawarden  ;  the  former,  whom  I  had  always  known  as  a 
Tory,  had  come  over  on  the  Eastern  question,  and,  like 
all  converts,  was  more  Liberal  than  the  Liberals. 

Mr.  John  Murray  came  in  time  for  dinner,  and  there 
was  interesting  publishing  talk.  Mr.  Murray  told  us 
that  Sir  Walter  Scott  was,  from  a  monetary  point  of  view, 
the  greatest  English  author,  but  successful  only  after 

286 


1879  LORD    HAMPTON 

his  death :  find  it  was  sad  to  think  how  little  he  and  his 
family  made  out  of  his  writings^  though  probably  not 
less  than  £400,000  had  been  realized  from  first  to  last. 

Then  came  in  order  Charles  Dickens,  Tennyson,  and 
Macaulay. 

Shortly  after  I  returned  to  London  and  Somerset 
House,  I  received  a  long  letter  from  Mr.  Gladstone  on 
the  subject  of  income-tax  statistics,  which  he  said  he  was 
sure,  "from  the  high  organization  of  your  department," 
I  should  be  able  to  answer.     He  was  careful  to  add : 

"My  object  is  purely  non-political,  at  least  not  against 
the  government.  I  think  I  see  my  way  towards  estimat- 
ing the  relative  effects  of  railways,  etc.,  on  one  side,  free- 
trade  on  the  other,  in  promoting  wealth,  which  I  think 
has  never  been  done." 

It  is  always  a  new  source  of  wonder  to  me  to  think 
of  how  inexhaustible  Mr.  Gladstone's  energies  were. 

Lord  Hampton,  at  an  advanced  age,  had  recently  been 
appointed  Chief  Commissioner  of  the  Board  of  Civil  Ser- 
vice Commissioners.  His  appointment  at  the  time  was 
looked  on  as  a  job,  and  Mr.  Gladstone,  to  whom  a  job 
was  like  a  red  rag  to  a  bull,  thought  so  also  ;  Sir  Ealph 
Lingen,  then  Secretary  to  the  Treasury,  had  proved  to 
me  that  Sir  Stafford  Northcote  had  acted  on  his  advice, 
and  with  the  best  motives.  I  sent  the  papers  and  ex- 
planation to  Mr.  Gladstone,  who,  it  appears,  had  also 
heard  from  Sir  Stafford: 

"Many  thanks,"  he  says,  "for  the  figures  re  Hamp- 
ton. Northcote  spontaneously  supplied  the  particulars 
contained  in  the  letter  within,  which  I  thought  you 
might  like  to  see.    Hereupon  I  withdraw  the  word  '  job.' " 

Up  to  January,  1879,  the  penny  postage  stamp  could 
only  be  used  for  postal  and  not  the  ordinary  inland  rev- 
enue purposes,  such  as  receipts,  etc.  It  seemed  to  me 
that  numerous  involuntary  evasions  of  this  duty  took 

287 


RECOLLECTIONS  18V5- 

place,  simply  because  peoj^le  in  tlic  transaction  of  ordi- 
nary business  did  not  always  have  the  revenue  stamps  by 
their  side,  and  I  made  a  proposal  to  the  Chancellor  of  the 
Exchequer  that  one  stamp  should  be  made  to  meet  both 
postage  and  revenue  purposes.  The  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury,  now  Lord  Wclby,  in  tlic  interests  of  statistical 
accuracy,  opposed  it.  Mr.  Gladstone  sent  for  ns  and  told 
us  we  were  to  enter  the  lists  and  tilt,  and  he  would  act  as 
assessor.  After  some  argument  Mr.  Gladstone  awarded 
me  the  palm,  and  the  change  was  ordered  to  take  effect. 
Henry  Northcote  sent  me  the  following  decree  on  hearing 
of  Welby's  defeat : 

"  LrBEKTB, 

"Frateu-        [sta^nps]        NiTk, 
"  6galite. 

"De  part  de  la  Republique  une  et  indivisible. 

"  Les  soussignes  out  jiige  convenable  de  publicr  le  Decret  suivant: 

"Le  citoyen  Welby,  representaiit  de  raticieiine  facliou   aristo- 

crate    intitulee  Whig,  ayant  ete  deuonce  comme  suspect  d'avoir 

parle  centre  la  fusion  fraternelle  des  timbres  ci-joiuts,  est  con- 

damne  par  ce  present  aux  peiues  suivantes  : 

"  Les  biens  du  citoyen  Welby  seront  afTcctes  aux  besoins  particu- 
liers  des  merabres  du  Comite  du  Salut  Public  soussignes,  moyen- 
nant  la  sonime  de  vingt-cinq  sliillings  (nionuaie  anglaise)  dans  la- 
quelle  le  citoyen  Welby  se  trouve  acluellement  debiteur  a  la  Deesse 
de  la  Raison  par  les  mains  du  citoyen  ,J.  A..  Kempe. 

"En  outre  le  citoyen  Welby  est  serieusement  prevcnu  de  se  gar- 
der  bien  de  faire  aucune  reclamation  contre  cet  arret  sous  peine 
d'etre  condamne  comme  contumace  et  d'avoir  la  tele  trancliee  par 
le  bourreau  public,  citoyen  F.  B.  Garnett,  sur  la  Place  Somerset 
House.  Vive  la  Republique! 

[stamp] 
"  Vu  et  approuve, 
"(Signe)  RoBESPiEURE. 

"  RoBEsriKunE.  Hekries. 

"Danton.  West. 

"Marat.  Montgomery. 

"  CoLLOT  d'Herbois.  Keitii  Falconer. 

"St. -Just.  Northcote." 

283 


1879  LETTER    FROM    LINGEN 

When  Deputy-Chairman  of  the  Board  of  Inland  Rev- 
enue, I  was  deeply  occupied  with  the  administration,  and 
to  my  no  small  delight  I  received  the  following  letter  from 
Mr.  Lingen,  who  was  the  distinguished  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury,  and  my  pleasure  was  added  to  by  Mr.  Glad- 
stone's approval : 

"Treasury,  February  6,  1879. 

"  Dear  Mr.  Algernon  West, — Some  figures  which  I  occupied 
the  greater  part  of  last  Sunday  in  getting  out  bring  out  this  most 
satisfactory  result,  that,  excluding  a  temporary  and  not  excessive 
addition  to  the  non-effective  change,  you  were  able  —  (1)  To  im- 
prove the  emolument  of  your  out-door  service — a  necessity  long  ac- 
cumulated and  postponed  till  the  latest  moment  that  the  safety  of 
the  revenue  admitted — to  the  extent  of  £80,000  per  annum  nearly; 

"  (3)  To  make  the  same  sort  of  change  and  for  the  same  reasons 
in  your  Legacy  and  Succession  Duties  Office; 

"  (3)  To  reform  and  stamp  with  a  professional  character  your 
Solicitors'  Office; 

"(4)  In  all  your  departments  to  provide  for  the  introduction  of 
the  Playfair  scheme,  by  well-considered  present  arrangements. 

"  All  this  for  an  addition  of  no  more  than  £10,000  a  year  to  your 
vote.  It  gave  me  sincere  pleasure  to  call  the  Ciiancellor  of  the  Ex- 
chequer's notice  to  these  figures  yesterday  —  who  expressed  his 
warm  satisfaction  with  them — and  to  tell  him  that  nineteen-twen- 
tieths  of  this  good  administrative  work  was  personally  due  to  your- 
self, supported  by  your  Board. 

"Very  truly  yours, 

"R.   W.  W.  LiNGEN. 

"  Algernon  West,  Esq." 

To  this  I  returned  the  following  reply: 

"Board  op  Lvland  Revenue,  February  6,  1879. 
"  My  dear  Mr.  Lingen, — I  must  thank  you  very  warmly  and 
sincerely  for  your  letter  of  today,  which,  I  think,  has  given  me 
more  pleasure  than  any  letter  I  have  ever  received  on  official  mat- 
ters, and  I  must  also  thank  you  for  the  generous  and  kind  thought 
which  made  you  write  it. 

"  I  wish  I  could  end  here  without  repudiating,  as  I  must  in  all 
fairness,  the  share  you  allot  me  in  the  reorganization  of  our  offices. 
T  "       289 


RECOLLECTIONS  1875- 

"For  iny  own  part  I  can  only  take  a  small  proportion,  for  with- 
out the  approval  and  cordial  co-operation  of  my  chairman,  and  the 
help  we  got  from  our  secretaries  and  assistant- secretaries  in  the 
oflice,  I  could  have  done  very  little.  You  must  let  me  consider 
your  letter,  therefore,  as  an  approval  of  the  work  of  our  board,  and 
in  that  sense  I  will  not  be  oue  atom  the  less  grateful  to  you  for  it. 

"  I  am  sure  we  should  be  ungrateful  if  we  did  not  thank  you  for 
all  the  patient  labor  you  have  incurred  in  our  behalf,  and  all  the 
help  we  have  always  had  from  you. 

"  Yours  very  truly, 

"  Algernon  West. 

"R.  W.  W.  LiNGEN,  Esq.,  C.B." 

I  could  not  resist  tlie  pleasure  of  sending  this  corre- 
spondence to  Mr.  Gladstone,  who  said  in  answer: 

"  Harlky  Strkkt,  Ma)xh  24,  1879. 

"  My  dear  West, — I  need  not  say,  and  yet  cannot  help  saying, 
that  I  have  read  these  letters  with  much  pleasure,  but  with  no 
surprise. 

"  Ever  yours  sincerely, 

"  W.  E.  Gladstone." 

In  May  I  took  my  daughter  Constance  to  AVindsor, 
where  I  was  in  waiting,  to  the  Duke  of  Connauglit's 
wedding.  The  Duke  himself  and  his  pretty  bride,  with 
a  childish  little  pout  as  if  she  were  going  to  cry,  on  the 
arm  of  her  father,  the  Red  Prince,  in  a  very  red  uniform 
— all  made  a  pretty  picture. 

Of  all  the  sights  I  have  ever  seen,  and  tliey  have  been 
many,  nothing  ever  smiles  on  me  so  much  as  a  religious 
ceremonial  in  St.  George's  Chapel,  with  the  music,  the 
painted  windows,  and  the  antiquity  of  the  heraldic  ban- 
ners, which,  for  the  moment,  at  any  rate,  make  one  think 
that  the  Knights  of  the  Garter  may  be  proud  of  their 
Order  for  other  reasons  than  that  ascribed  to  it  by  Lord 
Melbourne. 

In  the  autumn  we  paid  a  visit  to  Studley,  and  were 

2S>0 


1879  CASTLE    HOWARD 

entranced  with  the  beauty  of  Fountains  Abbey.  From 
there  Ave  Avent  to  Castle  Howard  —  then  occupied  by 
Lord  and  Lady  Lanerton — the  magnificent  palace,  built 
by  Vanbrugh,  approached  by  a  fine  avenue  of  clumps  of 
trees  converging  on  an  obelisk  raised  in  honor  of  the 
great  Duke  of  Marlborough,  with  splendid  fountains  and 
garden  statuary;  and  inside,  the  magnificent  picture  of 
the  three  Marys — the  largest  place,  next  to  Blenheim, 
Avhich  I  had  ever  seen.  We  missed  our  connection  at 
Thirsk  and  travelled  with  the  inspecting  engineer,  whose 
coach  only  was  attached  to  the  engine,  Avhich  to  us  was 
rather  exciting. 


CHAPTER  XV 

1880 

Announcement  of  the  Dissolution— Mr.  Gladstone's  Second  Mid- 
lothian Campaign— Herbert  Gladstone's  Candidature  for  Mid- 
dlesex —  Letters  from  Mr.  Gladstone  —  Adam's  Prophecies  of 
Victory— i\Ir.  Bright's  Tribute  to  Mr.  Gladstone— Lord  Beacons- 
field's  Comment  on  the  Tory  Debacle— Mr .  Gladstone  sent  for  to 
"Windsor— The  New  Beer  Duty— Mr.  Gladstone's  Enthusiasm 
for  Finance:  his  Wonderful  Memory  —  Mr.  Watney's  Testi- 
mony—  Appointment  of  my  Son  Horace  as  Private  Secretary 
to  Mr.  W.  E.  Forster — His  Experiences  in  Dublin — The  Arrest 
of  Mr.  Parnell  :  Elaborate  Precautions  —  Mr.  Forster  and  his 
Revolver— His  Dislike  of  Police  Protection — Anecdote  of  Judge 
Barry — Narrow  Escape  of  Mr.  Forster  at  "Westland  Row  in 
March,  1882— Father  Healy's  Wit— An  Indignant  Archbishop. 

On  March  8th  the  secret  of  the  dissolution  was  pub- 
licly known.  As  a  splendid  instance  of  that  inviolable 
honor  which  pervades  the  Civil  Service  of  England,  I 
may  tell  the  following  anecdote: 

On  the  day  preceding  the  announcement,  an  official 
friend  of  mine,  from  his  intercourse  with  Sir  Stafford 
Northcote,  then  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer,  became 
aware  of  what  was  going  to  happen.  On  his  way  home 
from  the  Treasury,  he  met  a  great  friend  of  his  not 
blessed  with  an  income  which  exceeded  the  bounds  of 
avarice,  who  was  a  candidate  for  an  English  borough, 
and  who  told  him  he  was  going  abroad  that  evening, 
and  yet  my  friend  felt  so  bound  by  honor  not  to  divulge 
a  secret  which  had  come  to  him  through  ofiicial  sources, 

293 


1880  HERBERT    GLADSTONE 

that  he  let  the  other  start  with  the  full  knowledge  that 
on  arrival  at  his  destination  he  would  receive  the  news 
that  would  necessitate  his  immediate  return.  Some 
there  were  who  said  his  conduct  was  Quixotic;  others, 
Avho  reverenced  the  sacred  traditions  of  the  Civil  Service, 
knew  that  he  was  right. 

In  March,  1880,  Mr.  Gladstone  threw  himself  with  una- 
bated energy  into  his  second  Midlothian  campaign.  The 
enthusiasm  he  created  was  unflagging,  and  it  was  a  sore 
moment  for  me,  tied  by  official  restraints,  to  have  to  re- 
fuse an  invitation  from  Lady  Rosebery  to  join  the  party 
at  Dalmeny. 

In  the  midst  of  the  campaign  Herbert  Gladstone  was 
asked  to  stand  for  Middlesex.  It  Avas  a  splendid  open- 
ing, of  which  he  availed  himself.  My  two  sons,  Horace 
and  Reginald,  attended  his  meetings  and  helped  him. 
Mr.  Lowe,  whom  I  met  during  the  contest,  assured  me 
that  Herbert  spoke  as  Avell,  or  even  better,  on  the  plat- 
form than  his  father  had  spoken  at  his  age. 

I  wrote  to  Mr.  Gladstone  saying  how  anxious  I  was 
that  Herbert  should  not  let  slip  such  an  opportunity,  and 
he  answered  me  from  Dalmeny,  saying: 

"  A  quiet,  sober-minded  man  like  me  is  necessarily 
bewildered  at  your  audacious  proceedings.  Tell  Herbert, 
if  you  see  him,  he  is  constantly  in  my  mind  ;  and  I  am 
so  delighted,  though  not  surprised,  to  hear  that  he  has 
done  w^ell  in  speaking.  Tell  him  to  take  opportunities 
of  expressing  loyalty  to  Granville  and  Hartington.  En- 
thusiasm here  is  at  fever  heat,  and  the  meetings,  espe- 
cially the  (jreat  meetings,  are  better  than  in  November." 

Herbert  was  evidently  much  in  his  thoughts,  for  at  the 
end  of  the  week  he  wrote  : 

"  Dalmexy  Park,  Edinburgh,  March  27,  1880. 
"My  dear  "West, — I  have  in  ray  mind  tlie  possibility  that  the 
London  elections  may  go  ill,  and  this  may  be  used  to  discourage 
Herbert. 

293 


RECOLLECTIONS  1880 

"In  such  case  it  may  be  well  to  provide  him  with  the  means  of 
showing  by  facts  that  London  does  not  always  represent  the  coun- 
try. 

"  Without  referring  to  other  occasions,  the  election  of  1841  would, 
I  think,  prove  this.  My  recollection  is  that  the  Conservatives  were 
then  successful  in  the  City,  but  were  in  a  very  small  minority  of 
the  Metropolitan  representatives,  while  they  were  in  a  inKJoritij  of 
eighty  odd  from  the  entire  country.  This  would  not  be  difficult  to 
ascertain  by  reference  ;  will  you,  if  you  can,  kindly  do  it,  and  send 
him  the  result.     I  have  not  named  the  matter  to  him. 

"Experience  has  shown  that  you  judged  well  and  wisely  in 
encouraging  him  to  stand.  Had  I  been  on  the  groimd,  my  lieart 
might  have  failed  me,  but  I  would  not  have  stood  in  his  way.  The 
accounts  of  him  give  me  intense  joy,  but  no  surprise.  I  think  his 
face  is  worth  a  thousand  votes. 

"My  election  here  is  considered  a  moral  certainty.  The  entlni- 
siasm  is  ungovernable;  it  has  done  us  mischief  in  causing  the  Sher- 
iff to  postpone  the  election  ;  he  was  sincerely  afraid  of  violence  had 
he  fixed  Saturday— a  great  bore. 

"  On  Monday  I  expect  to  decide  finally  my  public  movements. 

"A  thousand  thanks  for  all  kindnesses,  your  sons'  included. 

"  Yours  ever, 

"  W.  E.  Gladstone." 

A  few  days  Later  I- received  the  following  : 

"Dalmkny  I'ark,  EmNiiriiGii,  April  \,  1880. 

"My  dear  West,— Our  enthusiasm  keeps  at  boiling-point,  and 
our  computations  are  all  to  the  good.  For  Midlothian  the  only 
doubt  in  my  mind  (but  I  am  sensible  of  the  dillerence  between 
objective  and  subjective  certainty)  is  between  a  middling  and  a 
really  good  majority. 

"  However,  England  seems  less  dependent  than  I  had  supposed 
on  Scotch  teaching. 

"  Yesterday  well  bore  out  your  anticipations.  We  are  only  get- 
ting the  first  telegrams  of  to-day  as  I  write.  It  will  surprise  me 
now  if  the  government  survive,  and  it  is  much  to  be  wished  that 
if  they  fall  they  may  fall  heavily.  As  conversely  I  was  tempted  to 
hope  that  if  beaten  we  should  be  decisively  beaten. 

"Wretched  City  !  If  anything,  it  should  be  financial.  What  a 
tale  1  could  tell  of  it  as  a  financial  authority  ! 

394 


1880  ELECTION    FORECASTS 

"M)'  last  Midlothian  speech  stands  for  to-morrow.  Continue  to 
give  Herbert  a  kindly  glance. 

"  I  look  upon  yesterday  as  a  dies  alba,  and  as  an  historic  day. 
"  What  are  your  present  expectations  ?    You  will  not,  I  fear, 
have  this  until  Friday  morning. 

"  Many  thanks  for  all  your  trouble,  and  for  the  abstract. 

"  Yours  sincerely, 

"W.  E.  Gladstone." 

Willie  Adam  had  sncceeded  George  Glyn  (who  had 
become  Lord  Wolverton)  as  Liberal  Whip.  Never  was 
there  such  a  prophet  of  the  victory  which  was  coming  in 
1880.  He  never  varied  in  what  I  thought  his  exagger- 
ated views  of  the  coming  triumph,  to  which  he  largely 
contributed  by  his  aptitude  for  organization  and  by  his 
great  popularity. 

When  the  elections  began  we  used  often  to  dine  to- 
gether at  Brooks's,  and  telegram  after  telegram  used  to 
pour  in,  giving  news  of  fresh  gains. 

"If  you  want  a  seat,"  he  said,  ''you  have  only  to  go 
to  Scotland,  say  you  were  Mr.  Gladstone's  secretary,  and 
you  would  walk  in  !" 

But  amid  all  the  Liberal  successes  came  the  sad  news 
of  my  brother's  defeat  at  Ipswich. 

I  had  ventured  to  make  a  forecast  of  the  elections, 
which  I  sent  to  Mr.  Gladstone.  On  April  11th  he  wrote 
from  Hawardeu,  Avhither  he  had  returned  after  his  Mid- 
lothian campaign,  saying : 

"My  dear  West, — What  wonders  !  Even  your  cheerful  calcula- 
tions left  far  in  the  rear. 

"Yours  ever, 

"W.  G." 

Then  came  the  rush  of  the  election,  triumph  after  tri- 
umph, victory  over  victory,  throughout  the  length  and 
breadth  of  the  land. 

Goschen  repeated  a  story  at  Ripon  which  I  had  told  him. 

295 


RECOLLECTIONS  1880 

I  was  dining  at  Lady  Kipon's,  and  was  told  by  John 
l^right  tluit  lie  had  met  a  lady  recently  who  had  loud- 
ly abused  Mr.  Gladstone  to  him.  Mr.  Bright  said : 
"  Madame,  have  you  any  children  ?  If  so,  show  Mr. 
Gladstone  to  them,  and  if  you  can  get  him  to  shake 
hands  with  them,  they  will  in  after  days  thank  you  for 
having  shown  them  the  greatest,  the  noblest,  and  the 
purest  of  British  statesmen." 

In  a  letter  in  which  he  acknowledged  the  loan,  Mr. 
Goschen  said,  "I  thought  it  a  good  story  for  a  large 
audience,  and  dragged  it  in  by  the  heels." 

Miss  Agnes  Hope  told  me  that  she  was  staying  at  Hat- 
field during  the  Tory  debdcle  of  1880,  and  heard  Lord 
Beaconsfield  say  to  some  of  the  young  men:  "Ah,  this 
is  only  an  episode  in  your  life  ;  it  is  the  end  of  mine." 

AVliile  the  elections  were  proceeding,  Welby  gave  us  a 
dinner  at  the  Garrick  Club  to  celebrate  the  engagement 
of  our  friend  Bobsy  Meade  to  Miss  Grenfell. 

Dining  one  night  shortly  after  the  election  Avas  over 
with  Mr.  Gladstone  in  Ilarley  Street,  and  before  any- 
thing was  known  as  to  the  resignation  of  the  Tory  gov- 
ernment, I  suggested  that  when  he  came  in  as  Chancel- 
lor of  the  Exchequer  he  should  repeal  the  malt  tax  and 
impose  a  beer  duty. 

''  Can  it  be  done  ?"  he  said. 

"Of  course  it  can,"  I  replied  ;  "it  is  in  operation  in 
the  United  States  now  ;  we  could  inquire  how  it  is  done 
there." 

Mr.  Gladstone  was  doubtful  as  to  whether  he  should 
be  in  office  at  all. 

Soon  after  this  Lord  Beaconsfield  resigned,  and  first 
Lord  Granville  and  then  Lord  Hartington  were  sent  for 
to  Windsor.  The  former  realized  at  once  that  the  only 
man  the  country  wanted  was  ]\Ir.  Gladstone;  the  latter, 
after  a  vain  attempt  to  form  a  Cabinet,  declined  the  task. 

29G 


1880  THE    BEER    DUTY 

On  one  of  these  evenings  I  was  coming  home  from 
dinner  and  overtook  Lord  Granville,  and  walked  with 
him,  discussing  what  was  going  on,  until  Ave  got  near  his 
house  in  Carlton  Terrace.  Just  as  we  got  there  a  han- 
som drove  up  furiously  to  the  door,  and  two  men  said 
they  must  see  Lord  Granville.  The  servant  said  it  was 
impossible.  They  said  they  Avould  not  go  away  till  they 
had  got  some  news,  and  there  they  stood.  I  left  Lord 
Granville  and  went  for  a  policeman,  whom  I  could  not 
find,  but  meeting  Wolverton,  we  returned,  to  find  the 
men  still  there,  who  were  only  got  rid  of  with  difficulty. 
They  were  touts  for  the  Press,  and  had  been  hanging 
about  all  day. 

The  next  morning  Mr.  Gladstone  was  sent  for  to 
Windsor,  and  accepted  the  combined  offices  of  First 
Lord  of  the  Treasury  and  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer. 
The  following  morning  I  was  sent  for  to  Harley  Street, 
where  I  found  him  at  work. 

"  Send  your  inspectors  at  once  to  the  United  States," 
he  said,  ''about  the  beer  duty." 

"  I  now  think  we  can  do  it  without  that,"  I  said,  and 
we  did  it,  thanks  to  Mr.  Gladstone's  wonderful  powers 
of  perception  and  persuasion  and  to  Mr.  Young's  (who 
was  then  Secretary  to  the  Board  of  Liland  Kevenue) 
knowledge  and  power  of  imparting  details. 

Mr.  Herries,  the  Chairman  of  my  Board,  was  ill  during 
all  the  preliminary  investigations  into  the  possibilities 
of  the  conversion  of  the  malt  tax  into  a  beer  duty,  and 
consequently  I  had  the  great  advantage  of  dealing  direct 
with  Mr.  Gladstone,  and  learning  myself  his  wonder- 
ful mastery  of  detail,  his  clearness,  and  his  accuracy. 
Luckily  for  me  I  had  as  a  coadjutor  Adam  Young,  a 
splendid  type  of  the  foremost  of  civil  servants,  who  was 
able  to  give  Mr.  Gladstone  all  the  minute  details  of  the 
malt  duty  which  he  had  asked  for,  from  the  time  the 

397 


RECOLLECTIONS  1880 

barley  was  growing  in  the  fields  to  the  moment  when  it 
was  finished  beer. 

Visiting  Whitbread's  great  brewery  one  day  with  Mr. 
Young,  I  was  wondering  how  successful  the  new  beer 
duty  would  prove,  when  he  answered  good-naturedly: 
"  Our  business  is  to  inspect  the  brewery  ;  do  not  let  us 
waste  time  in  thinking  of  what  is  going  to  happen  in  the 
future,"  a  habit  and  control  of  mind  which  must  have 
contributed  largely,  I  think,  to  his  success. 

One  Sunday  Mr.  Gladstone  met  my  daughter  coming 
out  of  the  Chapel  Royal,  and  asked  for  me  ;  hearing  I 
was  away,  he  said  he  must  trust  her  with  a  great  secret 
about  the  malt  duty,  and  gave  her  papers  which  she  re- 
fused to  speak  of  even  to  my  wife,  and,  I  believe,  sat  on 
till  my  return. 

Mr.  Gladstone  himself  revelled  in  financial  discus- 
sions, in  which  he  was  so  splendid  a  master  and  I  so  inapt 
a  pupil.  When  one  day  we  arrived  to  keep  an  appoint- 
ment with  him,  we  found  him  engaged  on  some  question 
of  foreign  alfairs  with,  if  I  recollect  rightly,  a  colleague 
and  an  ambassador,  whom  he  got  rid  of,  glancing  at  the 
clock  and  saying,  as  he  rose:  "Now  I  must  go  to  those 
dear  malt  people." 

Mr.  Gladstone's  memory  was  simply  marvellous  ;  he 
one  day  began  the  conversation  by  assuming  that  under 
the  malt  tax  the  profit  of  the  maltster  was  3  per  cent,  on 
the  quarter  of  malt.  I  interrui)ted  him  by  saying  it  was 
4  per  cent.  "Surely,"  he  said,  "you  told  me  it  was  3 
per  cent.,  or  how  could  I  have  got  it  into  my  head."  I 
was  sure  of  my  ground,  so  with  some  firmness  I  main- 
tained my  position.  Turning  to  Mr.  Young,  Mr.  Glad- 
stone said:  "Can  you  recollect  as  far  back  as  1832?" 
"Yes,"  said  he,  "  and  the  profit  was  then  reckoned  at  3 
percent,  jier  quarter."  "  Ah,"said  ilr.  Gladstone,  much 
relieved,  "  I  now  see  how  I  got  that  figure  into  my  head; 

298 


1880         DEFEAT    OF    THE    BREWERS 

I  was  elected  member  for  Newark  iu  that  year,  and  I 
studied  the  Malt  question  then." 

Fifty  years  ago — what  a  memory  ! 

After  his  great  Budget  speech,  introducing  the  aboli- 
tion of  the  malt  tax  and  the  substitution  of  the  beer  duty, 
he  left  the  details  of  the  Bill  to  be  drafted  by  Mr.,  now 
Sir  William,  Melvill,  the  solicitor  to  our  Board,  and  the 
details  to  Mr.  Adam  Young  and  myself.  The  care  that 
was  given  to  it,  and  a  few  meetings  at  Downing  Street 
with  Mr.  Gladstone,  settled  all  difficulties,  and  the  gov- 
ernment won  an  easy  victory  in  the  House  on  a  division 
raised  by  the  brewers  as  to  the  specific  gravity,  though 
Sir  Stafford  Northcote,  who  knew  nothing  of  the  tech- 
nical question,  supported  them. 

Mr.  Watney,  the  great  brewer,  who  had  worked  at  the 
business  himself  as  an  operator,  and  was  thoroughly  ac- 
quainted with  all  its  technicalities  and  details,  was  chosen 
to  fight  the  various  clauses  and  to  insert  amendments 
when  the  Bill  was  in  Committee. 

When  Mr.  Gladstone  had  answered  and  defeated  a  few 
of  those  Avhich  stood  on  the  paper,  Mr.  Watney  rose  from 
his  place,  put  his  hat  on,  and  came  to  me  under  the  gal- 
lery, saying  :  "  It  is  no  use  my  going  on  ;  Gladstone 
knows  more  of  my  business  than  I  do  myself  ;  he's  a 
wizard  and  I  shall  leave  the  House,"  which  he  proceeded 
to  do. 

During  the  progress  of  the  Budget  a  mistake  was  made 
from  the  fault  of  a  change  not  having  been  made  in  the 
original  estimate.  I  was  very  miserable  about  it,  and 
after  breakfasting  with  Mr.  Gladstone  I  said  how  sorry  I 
was.  He  at  once  said  :  "  I  don't  put  any  of  the  blame 
on  you,  but  even  if  I  did  I  should  not  forget  the  part 
you  took  in  originating  the  change  of  duty." 

Mr.  Gladstone  often  told  me  it  was  the  greatest  finan- 
cial revolution  he  had  ever  witnessed,  and  frequently 

299 


RECOLLECTIONS  1880 

testified  to  the  ability  of  my  departineut  in  bringing  it 
to  so  successful  a  conclusion.  Sam  Whitbread,  who,  of 
course,  was  deej^ly  interested  in  it  and  knew  the  difficul- 
ties of  the  cliange,  often  told  me  he  marvelled  how  it  had 
been  possible. 

One  day  I  was  at  Lord  Ripon's  house,  and  Forster, 
who  was  with  him,  asked  me  to  speak  to  him  ;  to  my 
surprise  he  asked  me  if  my  eldest  son  Horace  would  be- 
come his  assistant  private  secretary.  I  replied  that  all  I 
could  say  of  him  was  that,  though  he  was  very  young 
and  had  had  no  experience,  he  was  a  gentleman  and 
would  do  his  best,  and  that  I  should  be  glad  if  on  this 
understanding  he  would  take  him. 

He  had  already  been  offered  a  similar  place  by  Lord 
Northbrook,  but  that  was  out  of  friendship  for  me,  and 
this,  I  thought,  would  be  better  for  him.  At  first  he  was 
put  at  work  far  too  difficult  for  one  without  any  ex- 
perience and  he  made  some  natural  blunders,  but  it  was 
not  till  he  had  gone  to  Ireland  with  Forster  that  his  real 
value  came  out.  On  Forster's  return,  he  told  me  that 
no  words  could  express  the  comfort  he  had  been  to  him, 
or  his  charm  and  popularity,  which,  indeed,  I  heard  on 
all  sides.  He  continued  with  him  through  all  the  terri- 
ble dangers  and  troubles  of  the  time,  till  the  Chief  Sec- 
retary's resignation. 

Forster  was  a  Radical  of  the  Radicals,  with  a  strong 
infusion  of  Socialism,  which  he  showed  in  dealing  with 
the  men  in  his  employ.  Outwardly  rough,  as  if  hewn 
from  a  rock,  he  had  a  vein  of  tenderness  deep  down  in 
his  heart. 

He  entered  upon  his  Irish  office  full  of  hope  of  what 
he  was  to  do  in  reconciling  the  Irish,  and  gaining  their 
hearts  ;  why  he  failed  it  is  too  early  to  determine. 

Tlie  following  is  from  my  son's  recollections  of  his 
time  in  Ireland  with  him  : 

300 


1880  MR.    PARNELL'S    ARREST 


"  M 


Mr.  Forster  was  appointed  Chief  Secretary  to  the 
Lord  Lieutenant  of  Ireland  in  1880,  and  made  me  his 
private  secretary  in  April  of  that  year. 

"  The  Land  League  had  obtained  such  a  hold  through- 
out Ireland  that  he  decided  strong  measures  were  ab- 
solutely necessary,  unless  the  Irish  Executive  were  to 
allow  the  leaders  of  the  Land  League  to  govern  the 
country,  and  in  consequence  arrests  were  made  through- 
out Ireland.  Some  of  the  most  important  of  these  Avere 
Davitt  and  Healy.  Matters  were  in  a  very  critical  state, 
and  it  was  a  fight  between  the  Land  League  and  the 
Irish  government  as  to  which  Avas  to  have  the  upper 
hand.  Special  resident  magistrates  Avere  appointed,  and 
troops  were  drafted  into  all  the  disturbed  districts.  In 
spite  of  all  these  measures  matters  became  worse,  and 
in  October,  1881,  Mr.  Forster  considered  it  necessary 
that  Parnell  should  be  arrested.  This  was  kept  most 
secret ;  a  special  meeting  of  the  Cabinet  was  summoned, 
and  Mr.  Forster  went  over  to  Loudon  by  the  night  mail 
to  attend  the  meeting  the  next  morning,  leaving  a  few 
officials  who  were  in  the  secret  to  make  all  the  prepara- 
tions necessary  for  the  arrest,  should  he  obtain  the  sanc- 
tion of  the  Cabinet.  Parnell  was  to  address  a  meeting 
in  Wicklow  the  same  day,  and  was  to  stay  in  Dublin  that 
night.  The  telegram  came  from  Mr.  Forster  after  the 
meeting  of  the  Cabinet,  telling  us  to  have  everything 
ready,  and  I  remember  dining  that  night  at  the  Club, 
and  sitting  Avith  Colonel  Talbot,  the  head  of  the  Dublin 
Metropolitan  Police,  after  dinner,  when  he  got  the  re- 
port that  Parnell  had  returned  from  his  meeting  and 
was  at  his  hotel.  Mr.  Forster  Avas  on  his  way  back  to 
Dublin,  and  everything  was  arranged  that,  on  his  arrival 
the  following  morning,  he  should  drive  at  once  to  the 
Castle,  sign  the  Avarrauts,  and  then  go  on  to  the  Chief 
Secretary's  Lodge.    Mr.  Forster  arrived  at  Westland  Row 

301 


RECOLLECTIONS  1880 

at  eight  o'clock,  and  was  out  at  the  Chief  Secretary's 
Lodge  at  nine  o'clock,  having  signed  the  warrants  on 
liis  way,  and  at  9.30  we  received  a  message  saying  Par- 
nell  was  lodged  in  Kihnainham.  We  drove  into  the 
Castle  at  10.30,  and  got  in  hefore  any  one  heard  of  the 
arrest,  which  did  not  heconie  generally  known  until 
about  twelve  o'clock.  Sir  Thomas  Steele,  fearing  seri- 
ous riots,  drafted  artillery,  cavalry,  and  infantry  into 
the  Castle  Yard,  and  no  outsider  w^as  admitted.  About 
seven  o'clock  we  drove  back  to  the  Chief  Secretary's 
Lodge  with  an  escort.  The  police  were  doubled  all 
round  the  house,  and  six  troopers  of  the  Scots  Greys 
were  put  into  the  stables  in  case  of  emergency,  and 
during  this  state  of  affairs  I  remember  at  about  ten 
o'clock  one  night  a  Constabulary  orderly  came  out  with  a 
telegram  from  Clifford  Lloyd,  stating  that  serious  riots 
were  taking  place  in  the  West,  and  about  half  an  hour 
later  a  Dragoon  orderly  arrived  with  a  telegram  from  the 
Queen.  AVe  could  not  decipher  it,  as  the  Foreign  Office 
cipher  was  always  kept  in  the  Private  Secretary's  room 
at  the  Castle.  Mr.  Forster  was  dead  tired,  and  I  told 
him  that  I  would  go  into  Dublin  and  decipher  it,  and 
if  there  was  anything  to  be  done  I  would  call  him  when 
I  returned.  I  changed  my  things  and  started  to  ride 
into  Dublin.  When  half-way  through  the  Phoenix  Park 
I  began  to  overtake  the  Dragoon  orderly,  who,  in  very 
forcible  language,  asked  me  wdio  I  was  and  my  business, 
at  the  same  time  warning  me  not  to  come  too  near  him. 
I  gave  an  explanation  which  satisfied  him,  and  on  com- 
ing up  with  him  I  asked  the  reason  for  his  apparent 
alarm,  when  he  told  me  that  riots  were  going  on  in  Dub- 
lin, and  he  had  had  to  get  out  of  the  town  by  a  round- 
about way,  so  as  to  avoid  the  mob,  and  advised  me  to 
look  out  for  myself.  I  went  on  cautiously,  trusting  that 
if  I  saw  any  cause  for  alarm  I  could  turn  round,  having 

302 


1880  MR.    FORSTER'S    PERIL 

no  uniform  which  would  attract  attention.  I  reached 
the  Castle  gates  without  meeting  a  soul,  but  had  to  yell 
pretty  loudly  before  I  was  admitted.  Once  inside,  I  in- 
quired of  the  Constabulary  officer  what  had  taken  place, 
and  was  horrified  to  hear  that  the  unfortunate  Constab- 
ulary orderly  who  had  carried  Clifford  Lloyd's  telegram, 
had  been  stoned  by  the  mob  and  was  only  dragged 
through  the  gates  partly  alive.  It  appeared  that  when 
he  had  been  sent  out  everything  was  quiet  —  the  riots 
did  not  commence  until  half  an  hour  afterwards ;  con- 
sequently on  his  way  back  he  knew  nothing,  not  having 
met  the  Dragoon  orderly  with  the  Queen's  telegram, 
who,  as  I  have  already  said,  had  come  by  a  different 
route.  I  fortunately  had  come  behind  the  rioters,  as 
they  had  gone  on  in  front  of  me,  and  turned  down  Sack- 
ville  Street. 

"  All  through  this  time  it  was  well  known  that  Mr. 
Forster's  life  was  in  serious  danger,  and  of  course  threat- 
ening letters  were  not  wanting,  some  of  them  genuine, 
the  majority  rubbish.  It  is  a  matter  of  history  how  mar- 
vellous were  his  escapes  from  that  dangerous  gang  who 
afterwards  murdered  poor  Lord  Frederick  Cavendish 
and  Mr.  Burke. 

"  As  I  had  the  privilege  of  living  with  Mr.  Forster  at 
the  Chief  Secretary's  Lodge,  I  considered  it  my  duty  to 
accompany  him  always  when  going  to  the  Castle  or  re- 
turning home  at  night;  and  in  Dublin,  if  ever  he  went 
round  to  the  Club  for  a  rubber  of  whist  before  going 
back  to  dinner,  either  I  or  my  colleague,  Mr.  Jephson, 
would  go  with  him.  Acting  under  the  advice  of  the 
police,  we  always  carried  loaded  revolvers,  and  well  do  I 
remember  an  amusing  incident  arising  out  of  this.  On 
Mr.  Forster's  return  from  the  Cabinet  meeting  to  which 
I  have  already  alluded,  he  said  to  me  in  his  study  the 
following  morning:    'I  bought  a  revolver  yesterday  in 

303 


RECOLLECTIONS  1880 

London,  but  it  seems  to  me  to  be  very  awkward  to  get 
at.'  lie  then  struggled  with  his  inside  breast-pocket 
and  dragged  out  a  cavalry  'bull-dog'  loaded  in  every 
chamber,  with  the  muzzle  pointing  upward.  I  per- 
suaded him  to  let  me  take  it  and  put  it  away,  and  I 
gave  him  in  exchange  the  ordinary-sized  'bull-dog';  and 
with  that  he  and  I  used  occasionally  to  go  out  into  the 
kitchen-garden,  put  up  a  target,  and  have  a  shooting 
match  by  way  of  getting  our  eyes  in. 

"All  this  time  a  special  detective  followed  him  about, 
and  I  did  not  envy  tliis  officer  the  long  hours  he  had  to 
sit  on  his  wooden  chair  outside  the  door  of  Mr.  Forster's 
room  at  the  Castle.  We  also  had  two  mounted  police, 
who  would  always  follow  the  carriage  in  going  and  re- 
turning from  the  Castle ;  and  I  remember  one  evening, 
driving  home  in  the  dark,  how  Mr.  Forster,  who  was 
more  than  usually  bothered  and  worried  over  the  Irish 
troubles,  turned  round  to  me  and  said:  'Are  those  fel- 
lows following  me  ?'  On  hearing  they  were,  he  said  : 
'Tell  them  to  go  home;  I  don't  mind  if  they  do  kill  me.' 

"But  I  was  able  to  dissuade  him  from  this  course  by 
pointing  out  that  he  would  be  putting  the  policemen  in 
a  wrong  position,  as,  if  anything  happened  to  him  and 
they  had  turned  back,  they  would  be  blamed ;  so  after- 
wards he  put  up  with  them,  although  it  was  naturally 
irksome  to  him. 

"  A  sensational  incident,  which  began  in  a  silly  prac- 
tical joke,  of  which  I  now  feel  rather  ashamed,  took 
place  on  Christmas  night.  After  we  had  gone  to  the 
smoking-room,  instead  of  sitting  quietly  and  chatting 
as  might  be  expected,  somehow  we  began  'bullyrag- 
ging '  (Mr.  Forster  had  gone  to  bed),  and  from  that  I 
ran  out  of  the  front  door  into  the  garden,  chased  by  the 
rest;  but  a  watchful  policeman,  hidden  behind  a  tree, 
and  unaccustomed  to  scenes  of  frivolity,  rushed  out  and 

304 


1880         A    RISKY    PRACTICAL    JOKE 

captured  me,  much  to  the  amusement  of  those  follow- 
ing. The  policeman,  seeing  the  position  of  affairs, 
apologized  and  retired.  However,  the  spirit  of  the 
fun  had  fled,  and  every  one  was  returning  to  the 
house  when  I  complained  bitterly  to  the  policeman 
who  was  usually  at  the  Lodge  of  the  excess  of  zeal 
shown  by  his  colleague.  He  sympathized  with  me, 
and,  entering  into  the  spirit  of  the  thing,  said :  '  He's 
new  to  the  business ;  it's  his  first  time  out  here.'  Then 
he  suggested:  'Look  here,  sir;  you  see  him  now  in  the 
moonlight,  walking  up  and  down  by  the  ha-ha.  Well, 
put  on  my  hat  and  coat,  and  see  if  you  can  pass  him. 
I  dar'n't  give  you  the  pass -word,  but  when  he  chal- 
lenges you,  say  you're  the  Inspector,  and  I'll  see  no 
harm  comes  to  you.'  I  slipped  on  the  coat  and  hat, 
and  off  I  started  by  a  roundabout  way,  so  as  to  ap- 
proach the  policeman  on  the  path  by  the  ha-ha ;  the  re- 
mainder of  the  party,  with  the  friendly  policeman, 
crept  along  under  the  cover  of  the  bushes  to  within  as 
near  their  object  as  was  safe,  where  they  waited,  listen- 
ing to  the  policeman  pacing  up  and  down  on  the  gravel 
path ;  before  long  other  steps  were  heard  approaching, 
and  then  the  challenge  of  '  Who  goes  there  ? '  rang  out, 
and  was  immediately  answered,  'The  Inspector';  and 
to  the  onlookers'  astonishment  they  saw  the  policeman 
stand  aside  and  salute,  while  'the  Inspector'  continued 
to  march  on.  At  a  corner  of  the  garden  under  the 
shadow  of  the  trees  the  parties  all  met,  and  the  origi- 
nator, fired  with  the  success  of  the  venture,  said  :  '  Go 
on,  sir,  and  you'll  meet  the  patrol.' 

"  I,  flushed  with  success,  continued  to  march  on 
through  a  bit  of  a  coppice,  when  I  again  suddenly  re- 
ceived a  challenge  from  behind  the  trees,  and  immediate- 
ly answered,  as  before,  'The  Inspector.'  But  this  time 
the  words  were  hardly  out  of  my  mouth  when  I  was 
u  305 


RECOLLECTIONS  1880 

roughly  seized  by  the  collar  of  my  borrowed  coat,  uiul  a 
bare  sword  placed  across  the  back  of  my  neck,  and  the 
point  of  another  policeman's  sword  at  my  throat,  with 
the  question,  'Who  the are  you  ?' 

"The  friendly  policeman  hereupon  tliought  things 
were  getting  a  little  serious,  and,  hoping  to  save  blood- 
shed, rushed  out  from  his  hiding,  exclaiming:  'It  is 
Mr.  West,  of  the  Lodge ;  for  God's  sake  do  him  no 
harm.' 

"  The  two  police  officers  could  not  make  it  out,  and 
one  retained  his  hold  on  me,  with  his  sword  pressing  iny 
neck,  while  the  other  arrested  the  policeman  without  his 
hat  and  coat ;  then  came  explanations,  etc.,  and  we  wei'c 
both  released,  but  the  two  constables  who  had  arrested 
me  said : 

''  'You  may  thank  your  stars,  sir,  there  was  a  moon, 
or  we  should  have  cut  you  down  first  and  asked  questions 
afterwards,  as  the  moment  you  said  you  were  the  Inspector, 
in  reply  to  our  challenge,  we  knew  it  could  not  be,  as  it 
was  not  his  footstej?  we  had  heard,  and  seeing  you  in  a 
policeman's  uniform  we  thought  something  must  be  up.' 

"About  this  time,  I  think  it  was,  Judge  Barry  came 
over  to  dine,  and  I  can  see  him  now,  standing  with  his 
back  to  the  fire  before  dinner  in  the  drawing-room,  and 
Mr.  Forster,  who  was  late  back  from  the  Castle,  coming 
in,  saying: 

"  '  Well,  and  how's  that  God-forsaken  County  Gal  way 
of  yours  going  on  ?' 

"  He  replied,  with  a  twinkle  in  his  eye,  and  his  strong 
Irish  brogue : 

'"Not  God -forsaken,  Mr.  Forster,  but  government- 
forsaken  county.' 

"One  other  event  showing  the  great  risk  Mr.  Forster 
ran  of  having  his  life  taken  came  under  my  personal 
notice. 

306 


1880  MR.    FORSTER'S    ESCAPE 

"  It  was  in  March,  1882,  when  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Forster 
were  to  return  to  London  for  the  Parliamentary  session. 
Mr.  Forster,  as  usual,  had  gone  to  the  Castle  in  the 
morning,  and  was  to  join  Mrs.  Forster  and  his  daughters 
at  Westland  Row  Station  in  the  evening,  and  travel  by 
the  night  mail.  When  we  arrived  at  the  Castle,  Jephson, 
who  lived  at  Bray,  asked  Mr.  Forster  to  go  down  with 
him  by  an  earlier  train  and  dine  with  him  at  the  Yacht 
Club;  but  Mr.  Forster  said  he  did  not  think  he  should 
have  time. 

"  The  day  wore  on,  and  as  usual  we  were  very  busy, 
when  about  half-past  five  Mr.  Forster's  bell  rang  and  Jeph- 
son went  into  him,  and,  coming  back  to  our  room,  said : 
'The  Chief  is  coming  down  with  me  to  dine  at  the 
Yacht  Club  before  going  on  board  the  boat,'  and  left  me 
one  or  two  things  to  do  that  he  might  catch  the  train 
with  Mr.  Forster,  who  asked  me  to  meet  Mrs.  Forster  at 
Westland  Row,  and  tell  her  he  would  meet  her  on  board. 

'•'I  dined  at  the  Club  in  Dublin  and  met  Mrs.  Forster 
at  the  station,  where  I  took  the  tickets,  and  at  the  time 
I  noticed  there  was  a  very  large  crowd :  indeed,  it  was 
with  difficulty  I  managed  to  get  to  the  booking-office, 
and  on  going  on  the  platform  it  was  with  still  more 
difficulty  I  helped  Mrs.  Forster  to  the  carriage  reserved 
for  the  Chief  Secretary;  and  when  we  were  in,  there  was 
a  continuous  crowd  with  many  inquiries  as  to  'Where 
was  the  Chief  Secretary  ?' 

"At  the  time  I  put  this  down  to  mere  curiosity,  but 
afterwards,  at  the  trial  of  the  '  Invincibles,'  it  came  out 
that  they  were  there  with  the  intention  of  murdering 
him ;  and  they  got  a  large  crowd  to  attend  to  facilitate 
their  escape  after  the  foul  deed  should  have  been  done. 

''During  the  time  I  was  in  Dublin  I  came  across  many 
interesting  people,  among  them  Father  Healy,  so  well 
known  for  his  witty  sayings  and  amusing  stories.     One 

307 


RECOLLECTIONS  1880 

of  them  I  remember  about  a  very  tall  young  lady  .named 
Miss  Lynch  : 

'"Nature/  said  he,  'gave  her  an  hich  and  she  took 
an  cU.' 

''On  one  occasion,  wlien  walking  with  a  friend  from 
Dublin  to  Bray,  his  friend  called  his  attention  to  some 
small  girls  bathing  in  the  sea,  with  the  remark  : 

"  '  What  wretched  spindle-shanks  they  have  for  legs  !' 

"Father  Ilealy  answered,  'Sure  and  you  wouldn't 
expect  such  heifers  to  have  calves  !' 

"One  story,  though  against  myself,  may  be  worth 
telling  :  When  first  I  went  to  Mr.  Forster  I  used  general- 
ly to  be  given  the  less  important  corresj^ondence  to  at- 
tend to,  and  I  remember  noticing  one  morning,  on  arriv- 
ing at  the  Irish  Office,  the  uninteresting  looking  letters 
which  were  on  my  table.  I  opened  one,  written  in  a 
bad  handwriting,  covering  two  sheets  of  foolscap,  giving 
the  writer's  views  on  the  Irish  question,  and  suggesting 
many  remedies.  Tlie  letter  began:  'Dear  Sir,'  and 
ended  up,  'Yours  faitlifully,  J.  Ebor,' and  somewhere 
in  the  corner  was  the  word  '  York.^ 

"After  reading  the  letter,  I  did  not  think  it  was 
worth  troubling  Mr.  Forster  with,  so  acknowledged  it  in 
the  usual  way,  and  stated  that  the  matter  would  receive 
attention.  I  addressed  the  reply  to  'J.  Ebor,  Esq., 
York,'  thinking  at  the  time  that  the  address  was  scanty, 
and  that  probably  it  would  come  back  to  me  through 
the  Dead -letter  Office.  I  should  not  have  thought 
anything  more  of  the  matter,  but  two  days  later  I  re- 
ceived an  indignant  letter  from  'J.  Ebor,'  informing 
me  that  he  was  the  Archbishop  of  York,  aiid  he  thought 
it  gross  ignorance  for  any  one  in  the  position  of  a  private 
secretary  not  to  know  the  usual  signature  of  the  Arch- 
bishop of  York.  I  wrote  a  long  letter  full  of  apologies, 
which  I  only  hope  pacified  his  Grace's  indignation." 

308 


CHAPTER  XVI 

1880-1881 

Correspondence  \vith  Lord  aud  Lady  Kipon  —  Letter  from  Lord 
Slierbrooke  —  Mr.  Gladstone  on  the  Beer  Duty  Bill  and  the 
Board  of  Inland  Revenue— All-night  Sitting  in  the  House — 
Companionship  of  the  Bath:  Mr.  Gladstone's  Letter — Trip  to 
the  Riviera  witli  Sir  John  Rose — A  Parisian  Dinner — Nice  and 
Monte-Carlo— Sir  John  Rose's  Britannic  Mood— Ill-health  and 
Resignation  of  Herries— Appointed  Chairman  of  Inland  Rev- 
enue Board — Letter  from  Sir  Ralph  Lingen  —  Retirement  of 
Alfred  Montgomery — His  Career  aud  Personal  Charm  and  Wit 
— "Not  One  of  the  Public"— Rebuke  to  a  Private  Secretary — 
Trip  to  Corsica  in  the  Pandora — Visit  to  the  Pietri  Family- 
Ajaccio — Expeditions  in  Sardinia— Return  to  Walmer. 

In  May  I  went  to  Charing  Cross  to  see  Lord  Ripon  o2 
as  Governor-General  of  India,  and  met  him  and  Lord 
Northbrook  on  the  pLatform ;  the  latter  said,  alluding 
to  me  :  "  He  Avas  my  best  correspondent  when  I  was  in 
India."  So  Lord  Ripon  begged  me  to  write  to  him  as 
I  did  to  Lord  ISI^orthbrook.  I  did  so  till  later  in  the 
year,  when  Lady  Ripon  joined  him  in  India ;  I  then 
transferred  my  correspondence  to  her,  and  we  kept  it 
up  regularly  nearly  every  week  during  her  absence. 

When  I  had  first  joined  the  Board  of  Inland  Reve- 
nue, I  studied  Sir  Stafford  Xorthcote's  Twenty  Years  of 
Financial  Progress,  and  set  myself,  by  way  of  an  educa- 
tional process,  to  write  twenty  years  more.  I  sent  wliat 
I  had  said  of  Mr.  Lowe's  chancellorship  to  him,  and  re- 
ceived from  him  tlie  following  letter: 

309 


RECOLLECTIONS  1880- 

"34  LowsDES  Square,  S.W.,  July  11,  1880. 

"My  dear  West,— I  have,  as  you  muy  well  believe,  road  your 
paper  with  the  greatest  pleasure.  1  have  no  criticisms  to  offer, 
but  am  very  much  obliged  to  you  for  all  the  trouble  which  you 
have  taken  to  put  my  proceedings  fairly  before  tlie  public.  The 
only  other  person  who  has  ever,  as  far  as  I  know,  said  a  good 
word  for  me  was  Mr.  Noble.  I  was,  if  I  must  confess  the  truth, 
so  much  disgusted  at  having  the  crowning  result  of  all  ni}-  labors 
taken  from  me,  as  if  my  work  had  been  a  complete  failure,  that 
I  have  purposely  avoided  finance  as  a  subject  on  whicli  I  might 
speak  unadvisedly  with  my  lips,  and  am  consequently  quite  unable 
to  offer  any  advice  or  suggestion.  Your  account  coincides  exactly 
with  my  own  impressions. 

"With  many  thanks  for  the  pleasure  you  have  given,  and,  I  may 
add,  the  justice  you  have  done  me,  believe  me, 

"Very  truly  yours, 

"SlIEKBROOKE." 

Encouraging  as  this  was,  I  never  had  the  audacity  to 
publish  what  I  had  written. 

The  Beer  Duty  Bill  was  jiassed  without  much  further 
discussion,  and  in  August  Mr.  Gladstone  wrote  to  Her- 
ries  and  myself : 

August  6,  1880. 

"DE.\n  Mu.  ITrkries,— I  avail  myself  of  one  of  the  earliest  mo- 
ments of  returning  capacity  for  business  to  write  to  j'ou. 

"Let  me  first  thank  you  for  the  great  ability  and  no  less  con- 
spicuous patience  with  which  you  have  assisted  me  in  the  rather 
arduous  matter  of  our  Inland  Revenue  Regulations. 


"to' 


"  Will  you  also  perform  for  me  the  very  pleasing  duty  of  con- 
veying my  thanks  to  those  who  have  assisted  you  and  me  from 
the  day  when  we  first  opened  the  subject  until  now. 

"I  can  only  say  that  I  have  been  always  accustomed  to  look 
back  on  the  business  transacted  with  the  Inland  Revenue  Depart- 
ment in  former  years  as  coming  nearest  among  all  my  cxjicrieiice 
to  what  I  should  consider  a  model  on  their  side  of  good  public 
service,  and  that  that  experience  of  former  years  lias  been  com- 
pletely revived  in  the  transactions  of  the  last  three  mouths. 

"  W.  E.  Gladstone." 
310 


1881      EFFECT    OF    THE    BEER    TAX 

"  10  Downing  Street,  Whitehall,  August  6,  1880. 
"My  dear  West, — I  have  written  a  note  to  Mr.  Henies  in  the 
terms  of  which  you  are  officially  included  ;  hut  when  I  am  a  little 
better  and  more  free,  I  must  either  orally  or  by  letter  give  you  a 
separate  word  on  the  subject  of  good  service  done  in  connection 
with  the  malt  and  beer  duty. 

"  Believe  me,  ever  sincerely  yours, 

"W.  E.  Gladstone." 

"I  must  tell  you  the  pleasure  it  has  been  to  me  that  you  should 
have  had  so  large  a  share  in  the  initiation  and  execution  of  this 
great  change,  certainly  the  largest  that  has  ever  been  undertaken 
by  your  department,  except  the  putting  on  the  income  tax,  and  I 
am  not  sure  that  it  is  not  greater  than  that. 

"The  value  of  your  initiation  and  first  working  of  it  was  very 

great. 

"W.  E.  G." 

Of  the  success  of  that  measure  it  is  impossible  to  speak 
too  highly.  There  has  never  arisen  a  proposal  for  a 
change  in  the  Act,  Avhich  speaks  volumes  for  the  ability 
of  the  draftsman,  Mr.  Melvill. 

There  is  great  simplicity  in  its  working,  and  the  tax, 
being  on  the  finished  article  instead  of  the  raw  material, 
has  been  a  vast  improvement. 

The  financial  effect  (for  those  interested  in  figures) 
has  been  as  follows  : 

Duties  equivalent  to  the  present  beer  duty,  viz. : 
— Malt  and  sugar  used  in  brewing  and  brewers' 
tax  :   Average  for  five  years  to  September,  1879.       £8,730,000 

In  the  last  financial  year  the  beer  duty  (which  was 
increased  by  6(Z.  a  barrel  in  1895)  produced     .     .     £11,826,139 

In  this  month  there  was  an  all-night  sitting  in  the 
House  of  Commons,  from  four  o'clock  one  day  till  one 
o'clock  the  next  day.  On  one  or  two  occasions  I  went 
down  to  see  the  House  still  sitting,  as  a  curiosity.  I 
was  present  in  the  House  when  the  Irish  members  were 

311 


RECOLLECTIONS  1880- 

iKuned  and  expelled — a  melancholy  sight,  which  1  shall 
never  forget. 

In  August  Mr.  Gladstone  asked  me  to  go  with  him  on 
liis  trip  in  the  GrantiiUy  Castle,  but  I  thought  I  ought 
not  to  go  away,  as  my  chairman,  Ilerries,  was  ill. 

In  October  Mr.  Gladstone  gained  his  great  triumph 
over  the  Turk,  whom  he  caused  to  evacuate  the  Dul- 
cigno  district  by  a  threat  of  taking  Smyrna — the  Euro- 
pean concert  lasted  just  long  enough. 

In  that  month  I  was  walking  across  the  Horse  Guards' 
Parade  with  Mr.  Gladstone,  when  he  asked  me  if  he 
might  submit  my  name  to  the  Queen  for  the  honor  of 
the  Companionship  of  the  Bath.  I  told  him  I  was  flat- 
tered by  his  offer,  but  for  several  reasons  I  would  rather 
decline  it.  We  then  parted,  but  on  tlie  next  day  I  re- 
ceived the  following  letter,  which,  of  course,  overcame 
my  refusal : 

"10  Dowsing  Street,  Whitehall,  October  4,  1880. 

"My  dear  West, — I  tbiuk  the  inclosed  ought  to  remove  any 
scruples  you  have  about  accepting  the  Order. 

"If  you  do  not  care  to  be  congratulated  on  becoming  a  Compan- 
ion, you  will,  I  know,  be  willing  to  accept  congratulations  (which 
are  hereby  conveyed,  and  convoyed  in  large  measure),  on  yoiu' 
having  further  earned  tiie  marked  appreciation  and  high  approval 
of  the  great  and  distinguished  man. 

"This,  I  know,  will  be  a  pleasure  to  you,  and  il  is  a  pleasure,  a 
great  pleasure,  to  me  to  wish  you  joy  accordingly. 

"  Yours  always  sincerely, 

"E.  Hamilton." 

"10  Dow.viSG  Strket,  Whiteuall,  October  4,  1880. 

"My  dear  West, — I  hope  you  will  allow  me  to  submit  your 
name  to  the  Queen  for  a  Companionship  of  the  Bath,  which  is,  as 
you  know,  the  first  step  on  tiie  hidder  of  tlie  Order. 

"I  tliink  that  such  an  acknowledgment  is  due  to  the  high  qual- 
ity and  very  considerable  length  of  your  service  for  the  State  and 
to  its  agents  in  very  respoiisil)le  positions,  to  which  no  one  can 
bear  either  a  better-informed  or  a  warmer  testimony  than  myself. 

312 


1881  TRIP    TO    THE    RIVIERA 

"  As  a  friend  I  have  great  pleasure  in  making  this  proposal,  and 
as  a  Minister  I  am  especially  gratified  to  make  it  at  a  time  wlien 
you  have  given  such  marked  and  efficient  aid  in  the  introduction 
and  adoption  of  a  change  which  I  hope  may  remain  memorable  for 
good  in  the  annals  of  your  department. 

"Believe  me,  sincerely  yours, 

"W.  E.  Gladstone." 

In  December  I  started  from  Charing  Cross  with  Sir 
John  Rose  for  a  trip  on  the  Riviera.  In  our  carriage 
were  Mr.  Stephen,  now  Lord  Mount  Stephen,  and  some 
others,  who  were  going  over  to  Paris  on  matters  con- 
nected with  the  Canadian-Pacific  Railway.  On  our  way 
Mr.  Steplien  received  a  telegram  from  some  great  finan- 
cier in  Paris,  asking  all  the  party,  in  which  Rose  and  I 
were  included,  to  dine  with  him  that  evening.  On  our 
arrival  I  swore  that  nothing  should  induce  me  to  go 
unless  I  was  allowed  to  dress.  We  were  received  at  the 
station  by  a  very  smart  gentleman,  who  received  my  pro- 
testations by  throwing  open  his  surtout  and  showing 
himself  in  spotless  linen  and  a  very  beautiful  frock-coat; 
declared  he  was  not  dressed,  and  no  one  would  be.  I 
was  very  miserable,  for  dinner  to  me  without  change  of 
clothes  was  always  most  unappetizing,  and  after  a  long 
journey  it  was  horrid.  However,  carriages  were  wait- 
ing, and  we  were  bundled  into  them  and  driven  to  a 
gorgeous  villa  near  the  Pare  Monceau,  where  we  found, 
to  make  us  more  uncomfortable,  everybody  en  grande 
tenue,  and  most  of  them  decorated.  The  banquet  was 
like  one  of  those  described  by  Dumas  in  Monte  Cristo. 
We  were  received  in  a  nearly  unfurnished  room  covered 
with  beautiful  tapestries,  which  noiselessly  parted  and 
showed  us  a  table  that  was  a  mass  of  flowers  and  silver. 
Every  guest  had  seven  wine-glasses,  and  I  verily  believe, 
in  spite  of  his  protestations,  that  Sir  John  Rose  drank 
seven  wines.     It  was  my  first  experience  of  such  a  Pa- 

313 


RECOLLECTIONS  1880- 

risiau  diuuor.  After  it  the  host  and  his  son  handed  us 
coffee  and  cigars. 

The  following  evening  Sir  John  Rose  and  I  started  for 
Nice,  where  we  arrived  about  five  o'clock  the  next  after- 
noon, and  were  cordially  received  hy  Lady  Rose,  lior 
daughter,  Mrs.  Stanley  Clarke,  and  Mr.  J.  S.  Morgan. 

It  would  have  been  impossible  to  desire  a  more  agree- 
able party. 

"We  were  lodged  at  the  Hotel  Grande  Bretagne.  One 
day  we  went  to  Villefranche  ;  on  another  we  dined  at  the 
Reserve  and  made  acquaintance  with  Thackeray's  his- 
torical Bouillabaisse,  of  which  I  was  not  worthy;  and 
the  next  day  Sir  John  and  Lady  Rose  made  that  beau- 
tiful drive  along  the  sea-shore  to  ]\Ionte-Carlo,  a  very 
paradise  of  sinners.  The  Mediterranean  was  dazzliugly 
blue,  and  the  sun  entrancingly  warm  ;  but  what  creatures 
of  moods  we  all  are,  men  and  women  alike  !  Many  is  the 
laugh  we  had  in  after  times  at  Sir  John  Rose's  Britannic 
mood  tbat  day.  Three  rctuarks  throughout  that  ro- 
mantic drive,  and  three  only  did  he  make:  (1)  "What 
a  beastly  glare  !"  (2)  "  What  a  hideous  tree  a  palm  is  !" 
(3)  "I  wish  that  d — d  dog  would  stop  barking." 

We  chaffed  him  good  -  naturediy,  and  I  jxiraphrased 
Macaulay's  "  Ode  on  a  Yorkshire  Jacobite": 

"To  my  dear  wife  I  sacrificed,  with  paiu, 
Comfort  aud  home,  business  aud  hopes  of  gain. 

Saw  Lombard  Street  in  each  Lombardian  plain 
And  wept  by  Arno  for  my  bank  again." 

We  stayed  three  or  four  days  at  Monte-Carlo,  and  on 
to  San  Remo  and  Geneva,  where  oflicial  ties  forced  me 
to  say  good-bye  to  my  dear  friends. 

The  next  year  (1881)  poor  Ilerries's  health  was  begin- 

314 


1881  AS    HERRIES'S    SUCCESSOR 

uing  to  fail,  and  the  discussion  of  the  Budget  again  fell 
iu  great  measure  on  my  shoulders. 

Other  matters  prevented  Mr.  Gladstone  from  having 
the  time  necessary  for  a  thorough  revision  of  the  death 
duties,  but  he  dealt  partially  with  the  probate,  not  ac- 
cepting my  earnest  advice  that  he  should  unify  the  duty, 
somewhat  in  the  way  advocated  yearly  by  Mr.  Dodds.  I 
wrote  volumes  on  the  subject,  and  my  only  satisfaction 
was  in  knowing  that  afterwards  Mr.  Gladstone  acknowl- 
edged to  me  that  I  had  convinced  him  that  I  was  right. 
This  he  repeated  to  me  again  on  board  the  PemhroJce 
Castle  in  1883. 

Herries's  health  had  broken  down  under  the  weight  of 
responsibility  in  the  spring,  and  he  never  sufficiently  re- 
covered to  come  back  to  work.  A  position  of  a  deputy 
or  a  locum  tenens  is  not  an  enviable  one,  but  my  respon- 
sibilities had  been  lightened  and  my  work  had  been  ren- 
dered more  easy,  not  only  by  the  generous  support  from 
the  best  of  all  departments,  but  by  the  constant  inter- 
course with  Lord  Frederick  Cavendish,  who  was  Secre- 
tary to  the  Treasury,  and  who  was  the  pleasantest  man 
to  do  business  with  that  I  could  imagine. 

Late  in  the  month  I  was  fishing  at  Netherby,  when 
we  were  asked  to  Hawarden.  After  much  consideration, 
seeing  that  the  question  of  Herries's  resignation  Avas  im- 
minent, I  felt  it  better  to  make  an  excuse,  to  avoid  any 
idea  that  I  was  going  there  with  a  purpose,  so  my  wife 
and  daughter  went  alone  and  I  returned  to  London. 

Going  back  to  dinner  on  November  11th,  my  servant 
told  me  that  Mrs.  Gladstone  had  called  to  congratulate 
me  on  my  appointment  to  the  Chairmanship  of  the 
Board  of  Inland  Revenue !  I  had  heard  nothing  ;  but 
in  the  evening  I  received  this  letter  from  Mr.  Glad- 
stone, which  the  messenger  had  put  in  his  pocket  and 
forgotten  to  deliver  : 

315 


RECOLLECTIONS  1880- 

"  10  Downing  Street,  Whitedall,  November  11,  1881. 

"My  dear  West,— Sir  C.  Ilerries  Las  placed  in  my  bands  the 
resignation  of  his  oHice,  and  this  proceeding,  now  virtually  accom- 
plished, enables  me  to  proceed  (subject  to  the  consideration  I  have 
to  mention)  to  the  fiiililnicnt  of  a  duty  most  agreeable  to  me,  both 
on  public  and  on  private  grounds  :  the  duty  of  requesting  you  to 
assume  the  Chairmanship  of  tlic  Board  of  Inland  Revenue. 

"As  you  are  aware,  proposals  have  for  some  time  been  before  the 
public  in  different  quarters,  which,  if  taken  up  by  authority,  might 
hereafter  issue  in  very  large  and  important  changes  in  the  adminis- 
tration of  the  revenue,  and  might  involve  the  making  up  of  the 
existing  machinery  with  either  the  severance  of  what  is  now 
united,  or  the  consolidation  of  what  is  now  separate.  There  is  one 
duty,  and  one  only,  which  I  think  now  devolves  upon  the  gov- 
ernment in  reference  to  this  subject ;  it  is  that  of  securing  to  itself, 
on  every  occasion  of  a  new  appointment,  an  absolute  liberty  of 
action  for  the  future.  Consequently  it  should  be  understood  in 
your  case,  the  first  which  presents  itself,  that  notlnng  in  the  nature 
either  of  a  vested  right,  or  of  an  expectation,  is  to  grow  out  of  the 
change  I  now  propose,  but  that  the  office  and  its  conditions  will 
remain  subject  to  the  future  pleasure  of  Parliament  and  of  the 
government.  You  will  understand  my  motive  in  establishing  this 
understanding,  and  you  also  will  know  the  spirit  in  which  from 
time  to  time,  under  our  system  of  government,  such  understand- 
ings are  conceived  and  applied. 

"  I  liave  only  to  add  that  in  the  event  of  your  acceptance  I  mean 
to  propose  to  Mr.  Adam  Young  that  he  shoidd  take  the  deputy 
chair. 

"  Believe  me  always, 

"  Sincerely  yours, 

"W.  E.  Gladstone. 

"A.  E.  West,  Esq." 

We  were  naturally  delighted  at  my  appointment,  and 
that  it  should  have  come  from  Mr.  Gladstone.  I  was 
proud,  too,  at  being  the  youngest  chairman  that  had 
ever  occupied  that  position,  though  after  my  retirement 
I  am  happy  to  say  that  all  my  successors  have  boun  ap- 
pointed at  an  earlier  age. 

I   was  much  pleased  with  the  letters  of  hearty  cou- 

316 


1881      MONTGOMERY'S    RETIREMENT 

gratulation  I  received  from  many  old  friends,  including 
Sir  George  Grey,  Sir  Charles  AVood,  Sir  Stafford  North- 
cote,  and  Sir  William  Stephenson,  Avho  had  preceded 
Herries  as  Chairman  ;  and  one  from  Lord  Northbrook, 
recalling  the  early  days  of  our  official  intercourse  at  the 
Admiralty.  Sir  Ralph  Lingen's  I  am  tempted  to  repro- 
duce: 

"17/11/81. 

"Dear  Mr.  Algernon  West,— I  congratulate  you  on  succeed- 
ing to  the  Chairmanship  of  your  Board— a  great  position— and  less 
likely  than  ever  to  be  an  easy  one. 

"I  am  confident  you  will  discharge  the  duties  with  ability  and 
courage— the  latter  quality  being  one  considerably  more  in  request 
than  supplied  under  successive  governments. 

"  You  and  the  Treasury  will  have  the  advantage  of  being  able  to 
rely  on  each  other. 

"  Chamberlain's  statement  about  the  eve  of  change  was  probably 
misinterpreted  as  a  revelation  of  Cabinet  secrets.  I  agree  with  him 
that  it  is  an  opinion  which  no  reflecting  and  intelligent  person  can 
fail  to  hold. 

"The  next  generation  of  administrators  in  excelsis  will  not  lack 

matter  to  try  their  mettle. 

"  Yours  very  truly, 

"R.  R.  LiNGEN." 

Herries's  retirement  was  preceded  by  that  of  Alfred 
Montgomery,  my  oldest  friend,  who  had  been  kind  to  me 
since  boyhood,  and  had  indeed  urged  upon  me  to  go 
upon  the  Board,  as  he  never  wished  for  promotion  him- 
self. 

When  the  vacancy  for  the  Deputy-Chairmanship  arose, 
he  wrote  to  Lord  Beaconsfield  begging  not  to  be  con- 
sidered as  a  candidate.  I  was  appointed  with  his  approv- 
al, but,  unfortunately  for  me,  ijord  Beaconsfield  meeting 
him  a  few  days  afterwards,  said : 

*'My  dear  Alfred,  I  wish  you  had  let  me  nominate  you 
for  the  deputy  chair." 

Then  came  a  little  clouding  over  of  our  friendship. 

317 


RECOLLECTIONS  1880- 

I  knew  it  was  not  my  fault,  and  I  deeply  deplored  it ;  but 
the  cloud  soon  passed  away  and  our  old  friendship  was 
renewed.  He  was  the  most  genial  and  social  of  com- 
panions, with  a  large  and  long  experience  of  society.  He 
had  been  Lord  Wellesloy's  private  secretary,  a  friend  of 
D'Orsay  and  all  the  dandies  of  that  day  ;  was  endowed 
with  extraordinary  good  looks  and  a  be wi telling  attrac- 
tion of  manner  which  endeared  him  to  everybody.  lie 
was  one  of  the  old  school  of  officials,  who  never  failed 
to  brighten  and  illumine  all  the  dull  details  of  routine 
work. 

Walking  down  to  Somerset  House  one  day,  he  passed 
through  Leicester  Square,  where  the  ceremony  of  open- 
ing was  to  take  place  in  the  afternoon ;  the  gates  were 
shut,  so  he  walked  up  to  the  constable  on  duty:  ''Not 
open,"  he  said,  "  sir,  to  the  public  till  after  two  o'clock." 

"I  am  not  one  of  the  public,"  said  Alfred,  with  his 
most  magnificent  manner.  "I  beg  your  pardon,  sir," 
said  the  constable,  and  the  gates  flew  open. 

One  day  at  the  Board  a  canon  of  the  Church  wrote 
and  asked  if  he  must  pay  licence  duty  for  a  carriage 
which  was  used  only  for  taking  his  infirm  parishioners  to 
church  on  Sundays. 

"  What  do  you  say,  Montgomery  ?"  said  our  Chairman. 
"  Oh,"  answered  he,  with  the  delightful  little  stammer 
which  served  as  an  ornament  rather  than  a  drawback  to 
his  speaking,  "  tell  the  canon  that  the  Board  will  not  in- 
sist on  the  old  people  going  to  church."  Another  of  our 
colleagues  murmured,  "I  wish  people  would  not  ask  us 
hypothetical  questions  which  legally  we  cannot  affirm, 
but  practically  we  disaffirm."  The  latter  was  too  subtle 
for  us  to  understand. 

On  one  baking  hot  day  the  Chairman's  private  secre- 
tary came  into  the  board-room  with  his  coat  off.  Mont- 
gomery was  much  shocked,  and  as  the  secretary  was  leav- 

318 


WzUkt  &B  tnitall.ph.s  a 


re^xy  CL^far>?rt</A^?n^y/^i/y. 


1881  MONTGOMERY'S    HUMOR 

ing  the  room  he  called  him  back  and  said :  "  Mr. ,  if 

you  should  find  it  convenient  in  this  hot  weather  to  take 
off  your  trousers,  pray  do  not  let  any  feeling  of  respect 
for  the  Board  stand  in  your  way." 

His  sense  of  humor  and  wit  lasted  till  the  end.  One 
day  during  his  illness  the  Prince  of  Wales  called  on  him 
and  shortly  afterwards  the  Princess.  On  her  departure 
he  said  to  his  servant : 

"  Should  the  Queen  call,  say  that  I  am  too  tired  to  see 
her  Majesty." 

Curiously  enough  he  once  told  me  that  though  he  had 
been  in  the  Queen's  household  since  her  Majesty's  ac- 
cession, she  had  never  once  spoken  to  him. 

We  had  another  colleague  who  lived  out  of  town,  and 
always,  to  our  amusement,  came  up  by  the  seven  o'clock 
train  because — as  he  said — he  liked  the  engine-driver. 
As  he  complained  one  day  of  a  bad  headache,  Mont- 
gomery said  to  him  :  "  Please  do  not  come  up  to-morrow ; 
I  will  do  your  work,  and  you  can  stay  at  home." 

"  Oh!"  said  he,  "I  can't;  I've  got  people  staying  with 
me !" 

How  much  he  felt  his  retirement  from  the  Board  was 
shown  by  this  short  note  : 

"5  BoLToi*  Row,  Matfair,  W.,  July  21. 

"  My  Dear  Algy, — Thanks  for  your  kind  note. 

"  Tlie  hour  of  parting  is,  indeed,  a  sad  one — more  painful  than  I 
ever  thouglit  it  would  be.  Indeed  it  must  be  some  days  before  I  am 
equal  to  coming  to  Somerset  House  or  saying  '  Farewell.' 

"  Yours  affectionately, 

"A.  M." 

Alfred  Montgomery  complained  of  having  been  bitten 

at  a  certain  country-house  to  Lord ,  who  was  more 

remarkable  for  his  conversational  powers  than  his  per- 
sonal cleanliness : 

"  I  have  never  been  bitten  there,"  he  said. 

319 


UECOLLECTIONS  1880- 

'' Ko,"  said  Alfred,  "even  bugs  must  draw  the  line 
somewhere." 

On  December  13tli,  leaving  the  Boanl  in  charge  of 
Adam  Young,  I  started  for  a  trip  on  Mr,  Morgan's  yacht 
Pandora,  which  he  liad  hired  from  Mr.  W.  II.  Smith  at 
Villefranche.  Sir  John  and  Lady  Rose  and  Mrs.  Mason 
made  up  our  party,  but,  sad  to  say,  no  Mrs.  Clarke. 

It  would  be  impossible  to  imagine  a  more  delightful 
host  than  Mr.  Morgan,  who  was  absolutely  devoid  of  the 
unconscious  insolence  of  wealth  which  is  possessed  by 
many  successful  millionaires. 

On  the  17th  we  embarked  at  early  dawn  and  started 
for  Bastia,  in  Corsica,  where  we  were  met  by  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  who  apologized  for 
not  being  in  full  dress,  and  acted  as  cicerone  in  a  dull, 
little,  common-place  town. 

The  next  day  we  reached  lie  Rousse,  a  rugged,  rud- 
dy coast,  as  its  name  shows,  with  high  hills  behind  and 
olives  everywhere.  We  breakfasted  with  the  Pietri 
family,  the  head  of  which  was  a  Corsican,  and  private 
secretary  to  Napoleon  III.  His  little  chateau  was  two 
or  three  miles  up  in  the  hills,  surrounded  with  gardens 
of  citron  and  oranges ;  a  village  and  church  were  perched 
on  the  summit  of  the  mountain.  The  house  was  ap- 
proached by  steps  through  open  verandas.  There  was 
a  small  library  moderately  filled  with  books,  and  many 
portraits  of  the  Bonapartes  and  the  Paoli  families,  and 
a  very  fine  picture  of  the  Pitti  Palace  at  Florence.  All 
the  floors  throughout  the  house  were  of  brick.  We  were 
ushered  into  the  salon,  in  which  a  magnificent  dejeuner 
was  served.  One  of  the  ladies  there  told  us  all  the  his- 
tory of  Paoli  and  Corsica,  of  which  he  was  considered 
the  liberator.  The  inhabitants,  she  said,  were  still  all 
Bonapartists  at  heart. 

The  son  of  Prince   Napoleon  was   now  the  one  they 

320 


1881  AJACCIO 

looked  to  for  the  re-establishment  of  the  Napoleonic  dy- 
nasty. 

We  were  offered  wild  boar  and  monfflon  hunting,  if  we 
would  stay.  They  showed  us  a  pretty  little  church,  and 
then  we  returned  in  a  very  rough  gale,  from  which,  how- 
ever, the  yacht  was  protected.  They  suffer  terribly  here 
from  droughts,  or  the  inland  parts  would  be  very  fer- 
tile. Nothing  could  be  more  interesting  than  our  visit  to 
this  picturesque  country  of  mountains  and  green  valleys, 
with  fruit  trees  and  myrtles.  Mr.  Morgan  is  received 
everywhere  in  France  with  enthusiasm,  for  he  made  the 
first  great  loan  to  them  at  the  time  of  the  siege  of  Paris. 
We  stayed  storm -bound,  which  drove  Sir  John  Eose 
frantic,  as  he  really  in  his  heart  hated  yachting,  or  in- 
deed being  away  from  his  dear  London  ;  but  Lady  Rose's 
wit  and  spirits  never  flagged. 

In  spite  of  the  wind,  we  reached  Ajaccio  on  the  short- 
est day,  a  day  of  sun  and  warmth. 

Colonel  Haggart  met  us  at  the  fort  and  took  us  all  for 
a  drive  to  see  the  birthplace  and  the  home  of  Napoleon. 
The  furniture  was  old  and  broken,  but  very  fascinating. 
They  told  us  that  an  old  woman,  niece  of  Bonaparte, 
still  lived  there  in  great  poverty. 

We  had  a  stormy  crossing  to  Terra  Nuova,  passing  all 
the  glorious  mountain  scenery  of  the  Straits  and  the 
islands  round  Sardinia,  including  a  glimpse  of  Garibaldi's 
home  in  Caprera. 

We  made  some  expeditious  by  rail  in  Sardinia,  and 
again  encountered  a  boiling,  snappy  storm  on  our  way  to 
Naples,  with  which,  I  confess,  I  was  disappointed.  The 
bay  equalled  all  I  had  anticipated,  but  the  town  itself 
fell  far  short  of  what  I  had  imagined  and  pictured  to 
myself.  After  staying  here  a  short  time  we  saw  Capri 
and  Sorrento,  and  revelled  in  the  blue  seas  and  the 
dazzling  sunshine.  We  went  to  Leghorn  and  passed 
X  321 


RECOLLECTIONS  1880-1881 

Spezzia,  and  there  was  a  talk  of  a  hurried  visit  to  Ivome  ; 
but  I  personally  was  determined  not  to  go  there  till  I 
went  with  my  wife,  who  was  so  looking  forward  to  show- 
ing me  the  place,  where,  before  our  marriage,  she  had 
spent  two  happy  winters  with  her  grandmother.  Lady 
Grey,  and  her  mother ;  and  so  I  was  glad  when  the  yacht 
rolled  by  on  our  homeward  journey  to  A^illefranche. 

I  went  straight  to  Walmer,  and  spent  long  evenings 
discussing  the  changes  we  were  to  make  at  a  little  place 
called  Wanborough  we  had  taken  not  far  from  Guild- 
ford, which  my  wife  was  working  hard  to  get  ready  for 
our  reception. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

1882-1883 

Site  and  History  of  Wanborough— Changes  in  the  Government- 
Resignation  of  Forster — Lord  Frederick  Cavendish's  Appoint- 
ment— News  of  tlie  Plicenix  Farii  Murders — Funeral  at  Chats- 
worth — Mr.  Gladstone  at  the  Guildhall— Arrest  of  Mr.  Parnell 
—Sir  Stafford  Northcote  and  Mr.  Gladstone— Visit  to  Hayes- 
Lord  Randolph  Churchill  on  the  Inland  Revenue  Board — Mr. 
Gladstone's  Defence  —  Harry  Keppel's  Reminiscences  of  Lord 
Saltoun— Origin  of  Sailor's  Blue  Collars — Invitation  to  Join  the 
Cruise  in  the  Pembroke  Castle  vpith  Mr.  Gladstone— Start  from 
Barrow — Miss  Laura  Tennant — In  Scottish  Waters — Arrival  of 
Sir  William  Harcourt  and  Sir  Andrew  Clark — The  Laureate's 
Reading  —  Question  of  his  Peerage  —  Visit  to  Kirkwall  —  Mr. 
Gladstone's  Speech — Across  the  North  Sea  in  a  Fog— Talks  wiih 
Mr.  Gladstone — Landing  at  Christiansand — Copenhagen— Din- 
ner at  the  Palace — Visit  of  the  Royalties — Tlie  Princess  of  Wales 
and  Tennyson  —  Return  Home  —  Miss  Tennant's  Charm  —  Her 
Visit  to  Wanborough. 

Wanborough  was  an  old-world  manor-house,  whicli 
is  described  by  Green  in  his  Mahing  of  England  as  be- 
ing on  the  "Hog's  Back"  on  the  North  Downs,  a  spot 
which,  in  all  probability,  has  been  a  sacred  site  for  every 
religion  which  has  been  received  into  Britain  from  the 
time  of  Woden,  from  whom  it  derives  its  name,  which 
was  originally  "  Wodenborough." 

The  manor  was  granted  by  William  the  Conqueror  to 
Geoffrey  de  Mandeville,  Earl  of  Essex,  who  was  a  Cru- 
sader of  not  irreproachable  morals,  and  was  excommuni- 
cated on  his  death.     The  Templars,  proud  of  his  achieve- 

323 


RECOLLECTIONS  1882- 

ments,  yet  not  daring  to  inciu'  the  Papal  displeasure  by 
burying  him,  put  his  body  into  a  coffin,  and  hung  it  up 
on  the  trees  of  their  garden  till  the  excommunication 
was  removed,  and  he  was  buried  in  the  Temple  Church, 
where  his  effigy  now  is :  the  only  instance,  I  am  told,  of 
a  knight  with  a  flat-topped  helmet. 

The  manor  was  subsequently  seized  by  Stephen,  and 
given  by  him  to  Pharamus  de  Bologna,  who  sold  it  to 
the  Abbey  of  Waverley.  At  the  dissolution  of  the  mon- 
asteries, Henry  YIII.  bestowed  it  on  his  Lord  Treasurer 
and  Lord  Admiral,  the  Earl  of  Southampton,  in  whose 
time  (1537)  the  present  manor-house  was  built.  Adja- 
cent to  it  is  one  of  the  oldest  churches  in  England,  dedi- 
cated to  St.  Bartholomew.  It  was  some  time  after  our 
taking  it  that  we  discovered  that  my  wife  and  I  were 
both  equally  descended  from  Lord  Southampton,  through 
Eachel,  Lady  Eussell. 

In  the  spring  of  1882  changes  in  the  government  af- 
fected me  very  considerably.  W.  E.  Forster  resigned 
his  office  as  Chief  Secretary  for  Ireland,  and  my  son 
Horace,  being  his  secretary,  fell  out  of  official  employ- 
ment, though  for  a  time  he  remained  with  him.  Every- 
body was  sorry,  and  Lord  Spencer  asked  and  obtained  a 
clerkship  for  him  in  the  House  of  Commons,  from  Sir 
Erskine  May,  who  had  already  told  my  wife  what  pleas- 
ure it  would  give  him  to  help  any  descendant  of  Lord 
Grey's. 

Mr.  Gladstone  wished  Lord  Hartington  to  go  as  Chief 
Secretary  to  Ireland,  but  on  his  refusal  he  determined 
to  send  his  brother,  Lord  Frederick  Cavendish,  who  was 
then  Financial  Secretary  to  the  Treasury.  It  was  a 
great  wrench  to  him  to  tear  himself  away  from  an  office 
which  brought  him  into  direct  communication  with  Mr. 
Gladstone,  and  from  work  in  which  he  delighted  ;  but 
the  post  he  was  offered  was  one  of  great  difficulty,  and 

334 


1883      THE    PHCENIX    PARK    MURDERS 

of  vast  responsibility,  and  I  do  not  believe  he  hesitated 
for  a  moment  in  his  unselfish  determination  to  do  his 
duty.  I  deeply  regretted  the  loss  he  would  be  to  me  ; 
and  on  my  way  to  Somerset  House  I  called  at  the  Treas- 
ury to  say  "  Good-bye,"  but  he  had  not  arrived,  so  I  went 
my  way  feeling  I  would  postpone  my  leave-taking  till  his 
return,  for  he  was  only  going  to  accompany  Lord  Spencer 
on  his  entry  into  Dublin,  and  to  return  on  the  following 
Monday  to  wind  up  affairs  at  the  Treasury. 

I  had  not  been  at  Somerset  House  for  an  hour  before 
I  got  a  note  asking  me  to  go  and  see  him,  which  I  did. 
He  told  me  it  was  not  a  real  ''  Good-bye,"  but  he  did  not 
want  to  go  without  a  shake  of  the  hand. 

The  Press  had  singularly  undervalued  his  character 
and  his  powers,  and  I  was  glad  to  find,  on  returning  to 
my  office,  an  appreciative  notice  in  the  Economist,  one 
of  the  few  papers  that  properly  valued  him  and  his  ap- 
pointment. I  cut  it  out  and  sent  it  with  a  note  to  Lady 
Frederick,  and  on  my  way  home  I  came  across  John 
Morley,  the  editor,  and  Yates  Thompson,  the  proprie- 
tor, of  the  Pall  Mall  Gazette,  and  told  them  how  utterly 
wrong  they  were  in  their  estimate  of  the  man. 

He  had,  at  any  rate,  undertaken  the  post  of  difficulty 
with  courage,  and  a  determination  to  carry  to  that  dis- 
tracted country  a  ''message  of  peace."  How  it  was  to 
be  received  we  learned  the  following  day. 

Horace  and  I  had  gone  for  Sunday  to  "Wanborough, 
where,  as  we  Avere  at  dinner,  we  were  startled  by  the  ter- 
rible news  of  his  assassination,  which  had  been  tele- 
graphed to  us  from  London. 

On  the  Saturday  evening,  my  wife  and  daughter  were 
at  the  Admiralty,  where  Lady  Emma  Baring  had  been 
entertaining  the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Edinburgh  and  a 
largo  party  at  dinner.  People  were  still  arriving,  when 
Sir  William  Harcourt  came  and  immediately  took  Lord 

325 


RECOLLECTIONS  1882- 

Northbrook  aside,  and  told  him  the  awful  news  that  had 
come  from  Dublin.  They  got  Lord  Hartiugton  up  into 
the  First  Lord's  private  room,  and  told  him  of  his  sad 
loss. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gladstone  had  been  dining  elsewhere  ; 
he  had  walked  home,  and  Mrs.  Gladstone  was  stopped 
at  the  door  of  the  Admiralty.  It  was,  I  think,  Lady 
Louisa  Egerton,  who  drove  off, at  once  to  Carlton  House 
Terrace  to  prevent  Lady  Frederick  Cavendish  coming  to 
the  party,  as  she  had  meant  to  do. 

The  news  was  not  generally  known  that  night,  but  in 
one  way  or  another  a  sensation  of  something  being  wrong 
pervaded  the  people  at  the  party,  and  it  broke  up  at  an 
early  hour. 

Immediately  Mr.  Forster  waited  on  Mr.  Gladstone,  and 
generously  and  gallantly  offered  to  go  over  to  Ireland 
temporarily  to  administer  Lord  Frederick's  vacant  post. 
This,  however,  was  not  to  be  ;  Sir  Charles  Dilke  refused 
the  terribly  responsible  office,  which  was  filled  by  Sir 
George  Trevelyan. 

During  Sir  George  Trevelyan's  first  visit  to  the  Secre- 
tary's Lodge  in  Phoenix  Park,  he  went  to  the  window  and 
pushed  aside  the  curtain,  and  underneath  its  folds  lay 
the  blood-stained  coat  of  poor  Frederick  Cavendish, 
which  had  never  been  removed  from  the  room  into  which 
his  body  was  first  brought  after  the  murder. 

I  went  to  his  funeral — the  most  impressive  I  had  ever 
seen — at  Chatsworth,  and  shortly  afterwards  saw  Lady 
Frederick,  who  gave  me  his  photograph,  taken  after  his 
death  ;  there  was  a  sweet  smile  on  his  face,  and  it  was 
difficult  to  believe  that  he  had  been  the  victim  of  a  vio- 
lent death.     A  nobler,  purer  soul  never  was  released. 

In  October  I  went  down  to  the  Guildhall  to  see  the 
freedom  of  the  City  bestowed  on  Mr.  Gladstone. 

Before  he  began  his  speech  I  heard  that  he  was  ex- 

336 


1883  ARREST    OF    PARNELL 

pectiug  a  telegram  from  Dnbliu  anuonncing  Parnell's 
arrest.  It  soon  came,  and  was  evidently  a  relief  to 
him,  as  he  appeared  anxiously  awaiting  it.  He  imme- 
diately said,  in  an  almost  painful  silence: 

*'  Within  these  few  minutes  I  have  been  informed  that 
towards  the  vindication  of  the  law,  of  order,  of  the  right 
of  property,  and  the  freedom  of  the  land,  of  the  first  ele- 
ments of  political  life  and  civilization,  the  first  step  has 
been  taken  in  the  arrest  of  the  man  who  has  made  him- 
self prominent  in  his  attempt  to  destroy  the  authority  of 
the  law,  and  substitute  what  would  end  in  being  nothing 
more  or  less  than  anarchical  oppression  exercised  upon 
the  people  of  Ireland." 

There  was  an  outburst  of  cheering,  which  saddened 
me  when  I  thought  of  all  that  it  meant,  and  how  the 
Irish  troubles  were  thickening  around  us. 

The  following  short  correspondence  may  serve  to  il- 
lustrate the  friendly  personal  relations  which  always  ex- 
isted between  Mr.  Gladstone  and  his  old  private  secre- 
tary : 

"10  Downing  Street,  Whitehall,  June  24,  1882. 

"My  dear  West, — I  observe  that  Northcote  and  others  of  his 
friends  ou  the  front  bench  have  observed  a  temperate  and  parlia- 
mentary course  in  questions  about  Egypt,  while  many  of  the  sup- 
porters have  been  unruly,  and  their  unruliness  appears  to  have  re- 
ceived distinct  countenance  from  the  speech  of  Salisbury  last  night 
in  the  House  of  Lords. 

"I  do  not  like  to  offer  public  acknowledgments  to  Northcote  on 
this  ground,  as  I  am  afraid  I  might  increase  the  difficulties  of  his 
position,  which  it  is  one  of  my  primary  duties  to  avoid. 

"If  j'ou  had  an  opportunity  of  letting  his  son  know  informally 
that  these  are  my  ideas  I  should  be  obliged  to  you. 

"Believe  me,  sincerely  yours, 

"  W.  E.  Gladstone." 

"jMJie  27,  1882. 

"My  dear  Mr.  Gladstone, — T  yesterday  had  an  opportunity 
of  communicating  to  Sir  Stafford  Northcote  the  substance  of  your 

327 


RECOLLECTIONS  1882 

letter  to  me  of  the  24tli.  He  expressed  himself  as  much  gratified 
at  your  recognition  of  the  conduct  of  the  front  opposition  bench 
in  trying  to  avoid  embarrassing  the  government  during  the  present 
crisis.  He  is  fully  conscious  of  the  difficulties  which  surround  the 
government,  and  intends  to  avoid,  as  far  as  possible,  adding  to 
them.  Of  course,  he  added  that  he  made  no  secret  of  his  disap- 
proval of  the  government  policy,  which  he  probably  will,  before 
very  long,  express  in  public. 

"Yours, 

"Algernon  West. 
"Rt.  Hon.  W.  E.  Gladstone,  M.P." 

In  November  we  were  staying  with  Everarcl  nambro 
at  Hayes,  in  Kent,  the  historic  hotise  in  which  Lord 
Chatham  lived  and  died,  and  where  AVilllam  Pitt  was 
born.  I  had  often  when  there  walked  over  to  church 
at  Wickham,  where  many  of  the  Wests  were  buried,  and 
notably  Gilbert  West,  who  was  a  friend  of  Pitt's,  and  to 
Avhom  a  great  mural  tablet  is  erected.  His  bouse,  now 
inhabited  by  Miss  Brownlow  Hall,  is  in  the  village,  and 
she,  hearing  that  I  was  at  Hayes,  sent  me,  through 
Mrs.  Hambro,  a  photograph  of  it,  and  one  Sunday  Hor- 
ace and  I  went  to  tbauk  her.  She  lived  there  with  her 
sister,  and  showed  us  most  kindly  over  the  house,  which 
she  had  added  to  since  Gilbert  West's  time,  and  evidently 
took  a  great  interest  in  the  family  and  the  place. 

On  June  1,  1883,  I  went  to  see  Mr.  Gladstone  on  the 
subject  of  Lord  Randolph  Churchill's  motion  on  the  re- 
cent order  of  my  Board  forbidding  Inland  Revenue  offi- 
cers to  use  parliamentary  influence  to  obtain  additional 
salaries  :  he  said,  '*'  Of  course,  you  are  coming  down  to 
the  House!"  I  said,  ''I  have  no  intention  of  doing  so, 
as  I  think  Lord  Randolph  is  quite  capable  of  alluding  to 
me  as  Sergeant  Buzfuz  did  to  Pickwick,  saying,  'Let 
me  tell  the  defendant,  if  he  be  in  court,  that  it  would 
have  been  more  decent  in  him,  more  becoming,  in  better 
judgment  and  in  better  taste,  if  he  had  stayed  away.' 

328 


1883       MR.    GLADSTONE'S    DEFENCE 

Bnt  if  you  really  insist  on  my  ji^oing,  I  will,  of  course." 
''Certainly/'  he  said,  ''you  have  got  me  into  this,  and 
mnst  not  desert  me."  So  he  took  my  arm,  and  we  went 
down  to  the  House  together,  where  I  had  to  sit  nnder 
the  gallery,  listening  to  a  most  violent  joersonal  attack 
on  me  and  Korthcote.  It  was  evident  that  Lord  Ran- 
dolph was  only  the  mouthpiece  of  somebody  else,  and 
had  not  got  up  his  lesson  as  well  as  nsual. 

Then  rose  Mr.  Gladstone,  and  by  his  eloquent  defence 
more  than  compensated  me  for  the  pain  I  had  endured 
at  Lord  Randolph's  hands.  He  said :  "  Mr.  West  is  a 
gentleman  who  has  risen  step  by  step  to  a  high  position 
in  the  public  service ;  and  every  one  of  those  steps  has 
been  achieved  by  energetic  and  able  exertion.  The  du- 
ties of  a  private  secretary  are  most  arduous,  and  those  of 
a  private  secretary  to  the  Prime  Minister  are  certainly 
arduous  far  beyond  all  others.  And  it  was  Mr.  West's 
merit,  and  nothing  else,  which  led  to  his  appointment — 
an  appointment  subsequently  recognized  by  our  political 
opponents,  so  that  he  stands  in  the  position  of  a  gentle- 
man whose  ability  has  been  acknowledged  by  both  sides 
of  the  House." 

Complimentary  words  followed  from  Sir  Stafford  jSTorth- 
cote,  Childers,  and  my  old  friend,  Sam  Whitbread.  The 
motion  was  defeated  in  a  small  dinner-hour  House  by  120 
to  37,  and  I  went  away  triumphant,  and  took  the  news  to 
where  my  wife  was  dining.  It  is  pleasant  to  think  that  in 
later  years,  when  Lord  Randolph  and  I  came  to  know 
each  other  better,  this  incident  was  entirely  forgotten. 

One  day  at  dinner  Harry  Keppel,  who  came  to  meet 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gladstone,  told  us  that  when  he  was  taking 
Lord  Saltoun,  as  commander-in-chief,  to  China,  he  asked 
him  whether  there  was  any  truth  in  the  oft-repeated 
order  of  the  Duke  of  Wellington,  ''Up,  Guards,  and 
at  them !"  at  Waterloo. 

329 


RECOLLECTIONS  1882- 

He  said,  "  None,"  and  ho  ought  to  have  known,  for 
tliere  he  had  commanded  the  light  companies  of  the 
Second  Brigade.  He  was  standing  by  the  Duke  when 
the  Guards  were  lying  down,  and  he  heard  the  Duke 
call  up  an  aide-de-camp  and  give  him  some  orders, 
which  he  galloped  off  to  execute.  On  his  return  he 
saluted  the  Duke  and  fell  back  to  the  rear.  In  a  few 
minutes  the  Duke  called  him  up  and  said: 

"  Did  you  deliver  my  orders  to  General ?" 

*' Yes,  your  Grace,''  said  the  aide-de-camp. 

"And  what  did  he  say?" 

"He  said  he'd  see  your  Grace  d — d  first." 

The  Duke  took  up  his  glass  and  looked  in  his  direc- 
tion, and  leaned  over  to  Lord  Saltoun,  saying,  "  By 
G— ,  he's  right." 

Harry  Keppel  also  told  us  that  the  blue  collars  worn 
by  sailors  had  their  origin  in  the  dressing  of  the  pig- 
tails, which  Harry  recollected,  when  a  blue  cloth  was  put 
on  the  men's  shoulders  to  keep  the  grease  off  their  jack- 
ets ;  the  pig-tails  disappeared,  and  the  collars  remain  to 
this  day. 

I  was  at  Wanborough  in  September  when  I  received 
a  message  asking  me  if  I  would  join  Mr.  Gladstone  and 
his  party  in  a  cruise  round  the  west  coast  of  Scotland  in 
the  Pemhrohe  Castle,  one  of  Sir  Donald  Currie's  line  of 
Cape  ships.  We  were  to  embark  at  Barrow.  I  hesi- 
tated, but  my  wife  and  daughter  persuaded  me  not  to 
miss  such  an  opportunity  of  again  being  with  Mr.  Glad- 
stone; so,  on  September  7th,  after  dining  with  Lord 
Welby  and  Sir  John  Rose  at  the  Oxford  and  Cam- 
bridge Club,  I  started  by  the  midnight  train  from  Eus- 
ton  to  Barrow,  where  I  arrived  at  about  ten  o'clock  on 
the  morning  of  the  8th,  and,  finding  a  brother  of  Sir 
Donald  Currie's,  I  went  with  him  on  board  the  ship. 
She  was  lying  in  a  narrow  channel  by  Peel  Island,  the 

330 


1883  MISS    TENNANT 

captain  rather  anxiously  awaiting  the  Prime  Minister, 
to  get  out  of  the  channel,  as  it  was  blowing  pretty 
stiffly,  and  there  were  only  a  few  yards  to  spare  when 
the  vessel  swung  at  her  anchor.  At  about  five  or  six 
o'clock  Mr.  Gladstone  and  his  party  came  off,  under  a 
heavy  swell,  in  a  steam-tug.  The  party  then  consisted 
of  Mr.,  Mrs.,  and  Miss  Mary  Gladstone,  Miss  C.  Glad- 
stone and  Herbert  Gladstone;  the  Poet  Laureate — Al- 
fred Tennyson — and  his  son,  Hallam ;  Arthur  Lyttel- 
ton.  Sir  Donald  Currie,  Sir  Arthur  Gordon,  and  others. 
In  half  an  hour  afterwards  came  Miss  Tennant,  who  had 
been  kept  behind,  and  how  she  came  I  don't  yet  know; 
but  this  I  do  know,  that  I  am  grateful  that  she  arrived, 
for  she  became  the  heart  and  soul  and  glory  of  the  whole 
party,  and  entranced  everybody,  from  the  sailors  to  the 
Prime  Minister,  with  her  charm  and  cleverness,  her  good- 
humor,  and  her  overflowing  spirits,  wliich  placed  every- 
body at  her  feet.  One  of  the  sailors,  whom  she  asked 
whether  he  was  married,  looked  at  her  and  said,  "Yes, 
ma'am,  I  am  sorry  to  say  I  am";  and  this,  she  said,  was 
the  highest  and  most  subtle  compliment  she  had  ever  re- 
ceived. We  immediately  got  under  way,  and  proceeded 
to  Eamsay  Bay  under  a  breeze  and  cloudy  sky,  where  we 
anchored  for  the  night. 

On  Sunday,  the  9th,  at  5  a.m.  sleep  became  difficult 
from  the  noise  of  weighing  anchor,  so  I  went  on  deck  as 
we  passed  through  the  Mull  of  Galloway  and  rounded 
Ailsa  Craig,  which  was  covered  with  shrieking  sea-birds. 
At  about  eleven  o'clock  we  had  a  full  church  service  in 
the  saloon,  Arthur  Lyttelton  officiating,  and  Mr.  Glad- 
stone reading  the  lessons.  AVe  passed  the  afternoon  in  a 
strong  breeze  and  heavy  rain,  but  the  Pembroke  Oastle 
cut  through  the  waves  with  hardly  any  motion  at  all.  We 
anchored  that  night  off  Jura.  On  the  10th  the  rain  had 
ceased  and  the  weather  cleared,  though  it  was  still  blow- 

331 


UECOLLECTIONS  1882- 

ing  fresh  when  we  anchored  at  Oban ;  here  we  were  met 
by  Sir  James  Kamsden,  and  taken  in  liis  yacht  Jessie  into 
tlie  bay  and  then  round  toDiuistaffnage  Castle,  where  we 
hmded  and  met  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ghidstone,  who  had  driven 
there.  The  sun  had  come  out  brilliantly  and  the  little 
bay  was  lovely,  and  the  sea  a  cerulean  blue.  On  the  11th 
we  sailed  through  the  Sound  of  Mull,  passing  Tobermory 
and  the  dreaded  Ardnamurchan  Point,  till  we  came  op- 
posite Loch  Hourn;  here  we  got  into  Mr.  Currie's  yacht, 
and  sailed  right  up  into  the  loch.  I  had  a  long  talk  with 
Lord  Dalhousie,  who  had  joined  our  party  at  Oban  the 
day  before.  Nothing  could  have  been  lovelier  than  our 
sail  through  the  sunny  little  loch,  covered  with  fishing- 
boats  just  returned  from  herring  -  fishing.  On  re-em- 
barking on  the  Pembroke  Castle  we  repassed  Ardna- 
murchan, and  just  as  we  were  in  the  midst  of  our  tumble 
we  were  hailed  by  the  burly  form  of  the  Home  Secretary, 
who  stood  on  the  deck  of  a  little  yacht  hardly  big  enough 
to  hold  him  ;  and  so  at  the  most  inopportune  moment  we 
stopped  and  took  him  aboard,  with  his  son.  Lulu,  and 
then  on  again  to  Tobermory,  which  we  entered  for  din- 
ner, before  which  Sir  Andrew  Clark  and  Lady  and  Miss 
Clark  joined  our  party. 

It  was  impossible  to  know  Mr.  Gladstone  well  without 
becoming  acquainted  with  his  ^Esculapius,  Sir  Andrew 
Clark.  A  Scotsman  of  pronounced  opinions  on  most 
subjects,  he  was  rugged  and  dogmatic  in  his  assertions 
and  his  conversations  on  religion  as  well  as  medicine. 
His  admiration  for  Mr.  Gladstone  was  almost  as  great  as 
Mr.  Gladstone's  faith  in  him.  Many  are  the  good  stories — 
too  well  known  to  bo  repeated — of  his  emphatic  direc- 
tions to  his  patients.  He  always  declared  that  no  one 
ever  was  known  to  have  died  of  old  age. 

Lord  Granville,  dining  with  him  when  President  of 
the  Royal  College  of  Physicians,  asked  the  company  if  in 

332 


1883  TENNYSON 

their  long  experience  they  had  ever  known  a  case  of 
cause  following  effect.  They  all  denied  its  possibility. 
"  Not  even/'  said  Lord  Granville,  "  when  the  doctor  fol- 
lows his  patient  to  the  grave?'' 

Sir  William  Harcourt  was  full  of  the  joke  of  my  having 
been  described  in  the  newspapers  as  "  The  Hon.  and  Rev. 
Algernon  West."  Oar  party  were  by  this  time  getting 
to  know  one  another  well.  We  had  settled  down  to  our 
places  at  dinner,  though  there  was  always  a  contest  as 
to  who  should  sit  near  Miss  Tennant,  and  we  were  really 
sorry  for  any  addition  to  our  party. 

Sir  William  directly  after  dinner  proposed  to  smoke, 
saying  he  was  sure  the  Poet  Laureate,  who  had  sung  of 

"  The  earliest  pipe  of  half -awakened  birds," 

would  not  object.  Mr.  Tennyson,  who  had  given  one 
the  impression  of  being  somewhat /a/-o?<cAe  and  rough  at 
first,  had  soon  softened  down.  We  had  many  pleasant 
conversations  together,  and  he  had  begun  reading  to  our 
small  party,  at  the  instigation  of  Miss  Tennant,  in  the 
smoking-room  in  the  mornings  and  evenings.  He  was 
very  much  offended  on  one  occasion  by  detecting  Mr. 
Gladstone  apparently  asleep  during  his  reading;  oddly 
enough,  he  preferred  his  dramas  to  his  poems,  though 
he  was  fond  of  reading  "Maud"  and  the  "Grand- 
mother." I  never  joined  in  the  chorus  of  thanks  and 
admiration  of  his  reading,  but  I  think  he  saw  I  was  an 
appreciative  listener,  for  he  always  insisted  on  my  be- 
ing present.  One  evening  the  men  and  boys  on  board 
sang  to  ns,  a  cabin-boy  calling  on  Mr.  Gladstone  and  Mr. 
Tennyson  to  join  him  in  his  chorus.  Sir  Arthur  Gordon 
had  with  him  a  Fiji  servant,  a  fine-looking  fellow  in 
costume,  who  showed  us  how  to  kindle  a  fire  by  rubbing 
two  pieces  of  wood  together. 

On  leaving  Tobermory  we  rounded  Ardnamurchan,  for 

333 


RECOLLECTIONS  1882- 

the  third  time  trying  to  get  to  Staffa  and  lona,  but  it 
was  too  rough,  so  we  went  inside  Skye  to  Gairloch, 
where  we  arrived  at  mid-day  ;  here  we  all  landed  in  the 
rain.  Mrs.  Gladstone,  Lord  Dalliousie,  Miss  Tennant, 
Herbert  Gladstone,  and  I  started  walking  towards  Loch 
Maree,  but  after  a  couple  of  miles  carriages  picked  up  all 
but  Herbert  Gladstone  and  myself,  who  returned  to  the 
shi])  and  fished. 

About  this  time  sprang  up  a  question  as  to  whether 
Tennyson  should  be  made  a  peer,  and  I  was  intrusted 
with  the  negotiations,  which  were  rather  amusing,  and 
ended  ultimately  in  the  affair  being  settled  and  the  peer- 
age accepted. 

On  arriving  at  Kirkwall,  in  the  Orkneys,  we  were  ac- 
companied by  the  burgesses  of  the  town  and  saw  St. 
Magnus's  Cathedral,  subsequently  going  for  a  long  drive 
to  see  a  prehistoric  tomb,  where  we  had  luncheon ;  on 
our  return  we  drove  to  the  kirk,  where  the  freedom  of 
the  town  was  presented  to  Mr.  Gladstone  and  Tennyson, 
Mr.  Gladstone  making  a  most  touching  speech.  There 
was  something  rather  comic  in  the  cbapel  arrangements, 
and  Miss  Laura  Tennant,  in  whom  the  sense  of  humor 
was  always  keen,  could  hardly  control  her  merriment, 
but  when  Mr.  Gladstone  spoke  it  changed  into  a  phase  of 
wrapt  attention,  as  he  spoke  for  himself  and  for  the  Poet 
Laureate.  "  The  words,"  he  said,  "  we  speak  have  wings 
and  fly  away  ;  the  words  of  Mr.  Tennyson  are  of  a  higher 
order.  I  anticipate  for  him  immortality.  In  some  dis- 
tant time  i^eople  will  say,  looking  at  your  roll,  'The 
Prime  Minister,  who  was  he ;  what  did  he  do?  We  know 
nothing  about  him,  but  the  Poet  Laureate  has  writ- 
ten his  own  song  on  the  hearts  of  his  countrymen,  which 
can  never  die.'" 

Nearly  all  the  town  had  closed  its  shops  in  honor  of 
the   occasion,  and   so  everybody  bought  photographs  at 

334 


1883  LORD    LYNDHURST 

the  only  shop  that  was  open,  and  this  turned  out  to  be 
that  of  a  Tory  who  had  refused  to  shut  his. 

A  thick  fog  had  now  set  in,  wliicli  was  not  propitious 
for  crossing  the  North  Sea,  which  liad  been  determined 
on,  for  Tennyson  had  suggested  a  run  across  to  Norway. 
A  young  lady  of  our  party,  however,  thought  a  fog  was 
safe  at  any  rate,  and  said  she  was  sure  that  if  it  became 
rough  in  mid-ocean.  Sir  Donald,  who  Avas  so  kind,  would 
anchor  at  once  !  The  fog  lasted  all  night  and  we  suf- 
fered from  the  terrible  sirens,  and  in  the  morning  we 
felt  our  way  out,  but  it  came  on  worse  and  was  very  dis- 
agreeable, seeing  all  the  boats  being  provisioned,  lights 
being  fastened  to  life-preservers,  fog-horn  blowing,  etc. 
However,  about  eleven  o'clock  it  cleared,  and  we  went 
ahead  full  speed. 

I  had  a  very  long  talk  with  Mr.  Gladstone  on  financial 
matters.  Talking  of  Lord  Lyndhurst's  life,  which  was 
being  written,  he  said  that  of  the  six  Lord  Chancellors 
he  had  sat  with  he  thought  him  the  most  useful  as  a 
Cabinet  Minister.  Once  when  he  was  consulting  him  on 
some  parliamentary  question  connected  Avith  Lord  John 
Kussell's  Ecclesiastical  Titles  Bill,  Lord  Brougham  was 
present.  Lord  Lyudhurst  was  then  crippled  and  infirm. 
Lord  Brougham  said  :  ''Ah,  Lyndhurst,  how  I  wish  I 
could  give  you  some  of  my  walking  powers  in  exchange 
for  some  of  your  brains  !" 

Then  we  talked  of  how  the  government  had  main- 
tained its  strength  after  the  secessions  of  the  Duke  of 
Argyll,  W.  E.  Forster,  and  John  Bright ;  he  said  the  Duke 
being  a  peer  had  not  much  weight,  that  Forster's  obsti- 
nacy was  most  extraordinary  when  Secretary  for  Ireland, 
and  he  knew  of  no  one  instance  in  which  he  had  taken 
his  advice  or  profited  by  his  experience;  Bright's  resigna- 
tion, he  said,  had  he  shown  anything  but  the  loyalty  with 
which  he  had  acted,  would  have  been  very  serious. 

335 


RECOLLECTIONS  1882- 

We  passed  Cape  Wrath,  where  I  am  told  we  rolled  a 
bit,  but  I  was  asleep,  and  after  a  splendid  run,  about 
mid-day  on  the  14th,  the  sea  running  very  high,  we  ap- 
proached Norway,  taking  on  board  a  pilot,  in  the  clever 
management  of  whose  boat  Mr.  Gladstone  was  much  in- 
terested. About  three  o'clock  we  all  landed  at  Chris- 
tiansand,  a  little  town,  bright,  clean,  and  built  of  white 
painted  wood ;  then  we  drove  seven  miles  throngh  a 
green,  prosperous,  fair  country  to  a  fiord,  crossed  the 
river  in  punts,  and  went  to  see  a  great  steam  saw-mill, 
where  all  the  pine-trees  were  sawn  up  and  thrown  into 
the  river,  where  they  floated  down  till  at  certain  points 
they  were  collected  and  made  into  rafts.  All  the  peas- 
ants looked  prosperous  and  well-to-do  in  their  little  hold- 
ings. The  ponies  were  like  small  Roman  horses  with 
high  manes  hogged;  on  reaching  the  fiver  we  got  into  a 
small  passenger  steamer  and  returned  through  pretty 
wooded  banks  to  Christiansand,  where  we  re-embarked 
and  sailed  for  Copenhagen ;  we  arrived  there  at  about 
half-past  five  on  Sunday  evening,  September  16th,  having 
had  service  going  up  the  Sound,  past  Elsinore,  where  I 
had  been  twenty-eight  years  ago  with  Jervoise  Smith 
on  our  return  from  the  Baltic.  Nothing  could  have 
been  prettier  than  our  arrival  in  the  afternoon  sun  at 
Copenhagen  ;  C.  Vivian,  and  Gosling,  the  Secretary  to 
the  Legation,  came  on  board,  and  the  latter  took  me  for 
the  Poet  Laureate,  and  told  me  how  delighted  the  King 
and  Queen  were  to  welcome  me  in  their  dominions.  After 
dinner,  Herbert  Gladstone,  Miss  Tennant,  and  a  little 
party  of  us  landed  and  went  to  Tivoli,  which  Avas  lighted 
up  by  the  electric  light  and  innumerable  lamps  on  all  the 
trees  and  over  all  the  lakes;  nothing  could  exceed  the 
lovely  effect.  The  music  and  the  behavior  of  the  people 
were  admirable.  I  saw  a  private  soldier  standing  there, 
and  asked  Mr.  Gosling  if  he  was  a  regular  or  aLandwehr. 

336 


i 


m' 


ii- 


^<, 


-V 


ValhrlBwtillfbic 


1883  ROYALTIES    ON    BOARD 

He  said:  ''Oh,  a  regular;  let  me  introduce  you  to  him; 
he  is  a  nephew  of  the  King."  I  asked  him  to  come 
and  see  the  Pembroke  Castle,  but  he  said  his  military- 
studies  and  duties  gave  him  no  time;  he  had  to  serve 
three  years  as  a  private. 

We  were  all  invited  to  dine  at  the  Palace  on  the  fol- 
lowing day;  but  happily  it  was  decided  that  only  six 
should  go,  so  Arthur  Lyttelton,  Herbert  Gladstone,  and 
Miss  C.  Gladstone,  Miss  Tennant,  and  I,  after  having 
seen  Copenhagen  all  the  morning,  dined  with  Gosling 
and  his  pretty  daughters  at  Tivoli,  where  we  had  an  ex- 
cellent dinner,  charming  music,  and  then  went  to  his 
apartments  to  hear  music  again  till  near  twelve  o'clock, 
when  we  joined  the  party  from  the  Palace  at  the  quay 
and  re-embarked  with  them. 

Sir  Donald  Currie  gave  us  a  pleasant  account  of  the 
dinner  at  the  Palace,  where  he  was  charmed  at  the  clever- 
ness and  simplicity  of  the  royal  family — the  dinner,  the 
wine,  etc.  We  heard  that  the  whole  party  was  coming 
to  luncheon  on  board  on  the  following  day. 

Next  morning  we  all  went  ashore  again  and  bought 
crockery,  flowers,  etc.,  and  got  back  by  one  o'clock  to 
see  the  royalties  come  aboard,  which  was  a  lovely  sight ; 
they  came  in  great  state  barges  from  the  Russian  and 
Danish  yachts  which  were  in  the  harbor — forty-one  in  all. 
The  party  included  the  Czar  and  Czarina  and  Czarowitz 
of  Russia,  and,  I  think,  a  younger  brother;  the  Czar,  a 
magnificent  man  in  uniform,  the  Czarowitz,  a  thorough 
Tartar -looking  face,  but  a  jolly  boy;  the  King  and 
Queen  of  Denmark — she  must  have  been  very  pretty — 
the  Crown  Prince  and  Princess  and  their  son ;  the  King 
and  Queen  of  Greece  and  their  children ;  the  Princess  of 
Wales  and  Prince  Eddie  and  his  sisters ;  Princess  Mary 
of  Hanover,  Prince  John  of  Giucksburg,  etc.  Never 
was  there  such  an  assembly  of  royalties  on  a  ship  before. 
T  337 


RECOLLECTIONS  1882- 

They  had  not  been  on  board  three  minutes  when  the 
Czar  had  disappeared,  having,  as  I  afterwards  ascer- 
tained, got  hold  of  the  engineer  and  gone  to  examine 
every  part  of  the  ship  and  her  machinery.  Andrew 
Cockerell  and  Miss  Knollys  were  in  waiting  on  the 
Princess  of  Wales,  and  reproached  me  for  not  having 
gone  to  dinner  at  the  Palace  last  night.  All  the  foreign 
Ministers  in  Copenhagen  were  there  also.  I  had  been 
busy  with  Mrs.  Vivian,  at  Sir  Donald  Currie's  request,  in 
trying  to  arrange  where  all  the  royalties  should  sit  at 
luncheon,  but  I  avoided  going  down  myself.  The  Czar 
said  he  would  rather  be  King  of  Denmark  with  its  peas- 
ant proprietors  than  Czar  of  All  the  Eussias  ;  he  was  an 
object  of  immense  interest  to  me  as  being  so  personally 
great:  the  other  royalties  were  surrounded  by  constitu- 
tions, ministries,  public  opinion,  etc.,  but  he  could  go  to 
war  to-morrow  if  he  liked  of  his  own  motion.  At  lunch- 
eon Mr.  Gladstone  in  a  few  Avords  proposed  the  health 
of  the  King  and  Queen  of  Denmark,  the  King  thanking 
him  in  English  ;  he  then  proposed  the  health  of  the  Czar 
and  Czarina,  the  Emperor  returning  thanks  in  French. 

I  kept  in  the  background,  but  the  Princess  of  Wales 
spoke  to  me  and  introduced  me  to  the  King  of  Greece. 
After  luncheon  it  was  proposed  that  Tennyson  should 
read  something,  and  on  his  saying  that  "one  man  could 
lead  a  horse  to  the  water,  but  ten  could  not  make  him 
drink,"  the  Princess  of  Wales  said,  "  Oh,  but  I  can," 
and  led  him  up  to  the  little  smoking-room,  where,  sur- 
rounded by  all  these  crowned  heads,  with  his  great  wide- 
awake on  his  head,  he  read  the  "  Grandmother." 

As  soon  as  the  royalties  had  disembarked  we  got  under 
way  and  left  the  harbor  amid  the  cheers  and  salutes  of 
the  Russian  and  Danish  men-of-war,  the  sailors  manning 
the  yards.  We  took  some  time  warping  our  ship  out, 
and  only  caught  sight  of  the  Danish  yacht  steaming  into 

338 


1883  HOMEWARD    VOYAGE 

Elsinore  as  we  passed  by  in  the  gloamiDg.  The  weath- 
er and  glass  were  somewhat  threatening,  but  we  got 
through  the  windy  zone  and  steamed  under  a  glorious 
moon  across  the  North  Sea,  arriving  in  the  Thames  on 
the  evening  of  the  19th — after  sighting  the  low-lying 
lands  of  Yarmouth,  and  the  fishing  fleet  off  the  Dogger 
Bank — and  ran  up  till  about  eight  or  nine  o'clock,  when 
we  anchored,  meaning  to  get  to  Gravesend  early  on  the 
next  morning,  but  a  heavy  fog  kept  us  still  until  ten 
o'clock,  when  we  ventured  up,  passing  some  emigrant 
ships,  the  occupants  of  which  cheered  us,  off  Gravesend 
and  Tilbury  Fort,  where  we  landed  and  had  a  great  re- 
cejjtion.  On  reaching  Downing  Street  I  went  to  try  to 
get  Lord  Granville  to  come  with  Mr.  Gladstone  to  Wan- 
borough  ;  but  he  was  away,  so  our  party  fell  through  and 
I  went  alone,  to  find  Lady  Grey  there. 

Our  cruise  had  in  every  way  been  a  marvel  of  success. 
It  had  done  Mr.  Gladstone  and  all  of  us  great  good  as 
far  as  health  was  concerned,  and  our  visit  to  Copen- 
hagen was  full  of  interest.  I  felt  very  grateful  to  every- 
body, and  everybody  felt  very  grateful  to  Miss  Tennant, 
who  had  really  been  the  life  and  soul  of  the  whole  party. 

To  describe  her  to  those  who  never  came  under  her 
charm  would  be  far  beyond  my  power,  while  those  who 
knew  and  loved  her  would  never  consider  any  descrip- 
tion of  her  as  adequate.  She  was  a  woman  of  the  great- 
est genius  I  had  ever  come  across  :  possessing  a  marvel- 
lous vitality  and  a  heart  full  of  the  real  enthusiasm  of 
humanity,  and  large  enough  to  hold  the  entire  world. 
She  was  not  of  very  striking  beauty,  but  had  a  soft, 
appealing,  and  almost  pathetic  look  of  sympathy  with 
those  she  talked  to.  Those  who  have  read  her  unpub- 
lished stories  can  alone  speak  of  their  charm  and  pathos. 
When  shortly  after  our  cruise  she  said  she  was  coming 
to  Wanborough,  I  deeply  regretted  having  praised  her 

339 


RECOLLECTIONS  1882-1883 

and  spoken  of  lier  in  a  way  which  in  another's  eyes  could 
not  but  be  extravagant.  My  wife  was  not  a  woman  given 
to  sudden  and  violent  friendships,  but  Miss  Laura  came 
and  conquered  her,  as  she  had  conquered  all  she  ever 
met,  and  my  praises  became  only  a  faint  echo  of  what 
my  wife  thought  of  her. 

Soon  after  my  return  we  had  a  pleasant  visit  from 
Lord  Granville  and  Mrs.  Stephenson,  the  latter  for  a 
good  long  time.  Li  October  we  went  to  Walmer,  which 
was,  as  usual,  pleasant ;  the  Eussian  and  Danish  Minis- 
ters were  there,  and  one  night  Sir  Evelyn  "Wood  came, 
on  his  way  back  to  Egypt.  He  talked  a  great  deal,  and 
was  full  of  praise  of  the  Egyptian  soldiers  and  contempt 
for  their  officers,  who,  he  said,  were  the  first  to  run  at 
Tel-el-Kebir. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

1884 

Mr.  Gladstone  on  Free-trade  and  Protection  — Anecdotes  of  Lord 
Lytton— General  Gordon's  Mission  to  the  Soudan— Meeting  at 
the  War  Office— Gordon's  Demand  for  Zebehr— Lord  Acton's 
Library— Panizzi's  Last  Days— Conversations  with  Mr.  Morley 
and  Lord  Acton— Mr.  Gladstone's  Portrait  at  Somerset  House 
— Funeral  of  the  Duke  of  Albany— Lord  Lyons  and  George 
Sheffield  —  Conversations  with  Lord  Granville  —  Cabinets  and 
Gossip — Earthquake  in  London — Lord  Granville  at  Wanborough 
— Mr.  Gladstone  on  Seceders — Letters  from  Sir  Erskine  May  and 
Sir  John  Lambert— Anecdote  of  Bishop  Percy  and  Mr.  Justice 
Maule— Mr.  Gladstone  on  Lord  Randolph  Churchill— Liberals 
Improved  as  Speakers  by  Secession— Mr.  Gladstone's  Height- 
Dynamite  Explosions  in  London  — Mr.  Browning's  Story  of 
Ruskin  — Mr.  Gladstone's  View  of  Froude's  Car^^^e  —  Tenniel 
on  the  Punch  Cartoons  —  Charles  Clifford's  Recollections  of 
Rogers  and  the  Grevilles  — Hallam  Tennyson's  Wedding— A 
Thursday  Breakfast  with  Mr.  Gladstone— The  Lords  and  the 
Franchise— Death  of  Lady  Halifax— "Welby's  Suggested  Inscrip- 
tion for  Mr.  Gladstone's  Bust  — Miss  Tennant  and  her  Sister 
visit  Wanborough— Lord  Northbrook's  Mission  to  Egypt— His 
Quixotic  Loyalty  — Mr.  Gladstone  and  Abraham  Hay  ward — 
Death  of  Lord  Ampthill. 

Ox  January  2d,  Mr.  Gladstone,  Frederick  Leveson- 
Gower,  Eddie  Hamilton,  Henry  Keppel,  and  Lord  Mor- 
ton dined  with  us.  Mr.  Gower  told  us  when  free-trade 
was  carried,  Lord  George  Bentinck  bet  him  £20  pro- 
tection would  be  re-enacted  within  two  years.  Mr. 
Gladstone  said  that  was  not  so  absurd  a  bet  at  the  time 

341 


RECOLLECTIONS  .    1884 

as  it  appeared  now  ;  Lord  George  Beutinck  was  alive, 
and  his  death  made  great  changes.  Had  he  lived  he 
would  probably  have  coerced  Derby,  and  between  them 
they  would  have  kept  Disraeli  under,  and  made  a  strong 
fight  for  protection.  When  Lord  Derby  left  the  Cabi- 
net he  said  he  disapproved  of  free-trade,  but  that  when 
it  was  carried  he  should  do  all  he  could  to  support  it ; 
yet  in  the  beginning  of  1849  he  announced  he  should  do 
all  he  could  to  oppose  it,  having  been  persuaded  by  Lord 
George  Bentinck,  whose  life,  had  it  been  spared,  would 
have  affected  politics  very  much. 

After  that  the  leadership  was  offered  to  Goulburn, 
who  declined  it,  and  a  triumvirate  was  appointed — Lord 
Grantham,  Herries,  and  Disraeli ;  the  two  former  spoke 
for  protection,  but  Disraeli  threw  them  over  and  soon  es- 
tablished himself  as  leader  of  the  Tory  party. 

Neate,  who  was  Member  for  Oxford  City,  was  a  free- 
trader till  protection  was  abolished,  then  became  a  pro- 
tectionist, and  published  a  book  on  the  subject. 

Sir  Eobert  Peel,  to  his  death,  believed  that  a  strong 
fight  would  be  made  for  protection,  ''a  womanish  super- 
stition.^' 

After  dinner,  whist  was  proposed  by  Mr.  Leveson- 
Gower,  but  Mr.  Gladstone  said  it  might  affect  his  head  ; 
he  told  me  his  constant  marvel  was  how  well  the  Beer 
Act  had  worked,  and  said  he  should  like  a  collection  of 
photographs  of  those  men  with  whom  he  had  been  close- 
ly associated  in  official  life,  not  M.P.'s,  but  civil  ser- 
vants. 

A  few  days  later,  at  Reginald  Capel's  we  again  met  Mr. 
Gladstone,  and  were  discussing  Lord  Lytton's  Life. 
Lord  Essex  told  us  how  he  had  met  Lord  Lytton  at  a 
wedding,  when  he  said  :  ''Are  you  come  to  one  of  these 
intolerable  necessities  ?" 

Talking  of  the  lines  supposed  to  be  written  by  the  sou 

342 


1884  GENERAL    GORDON 

on  liis  father's  election  for  Hertfordshire,  which  had  this 

verse : 

"Who  came  from  Hertford  in  a  chaise, 

And  lavished  anything  but  praise 

Upon  the  Author  of  my  days  ? 

My  Mother." 

Lord  Essex  said  Lord  Lytton's  influence  with  the  Press 
prevented  their  ever  being  published. 

In  the  beginning  of  the  year  the  Press  was  clamoring 
for  Gordon  to  be  sent  out  to  Egypt.  Gordon  had  passed 
a  life  of  perpetual  warfare  as  an  engineer  in  the  Crimea, 
as  a  commander  of  the  "  ever-victorious  army  "  in  China, 
and  as  Governor  of  the  Equatorial  Provinces  of  Cen- 
tral Africa.  In  1880  he  had,  oddly  enough,  accepted  the 
post  of  private  secretary  to  Lord  Ripon,  Governor- 
General  of  India,  a  post  which  he  resigned  on  reach- 
ing Bombay,  and  had  again  gone  to  China  at  Sir  Robert 
Hart's  request,  to  mediate  between  Russia  and  China. 
He  then  accepted  the  commandantship  of  the  Colonial 
forces  at  the  Cape,  which  he  resigned  in  1882.  Subse- 
quently he  entered  the  service  of  the  King  of  the  Bel- 
gians in  the  Congo,  from  which  he  was  recalled  by  the 
English  government.  On  January  10th  a  meeting  was 
summoned  of  those  Cabinet  Ministers  who  happened  to 
be  in  London,  at  the  War  Office,  where  Gordon  was  asked 
to  meet  them. 

They  consisted  of  Lord  Granville,  Lord  Hartington, 
Sir  Charles  Dilke,  and  Lord  Northbrook. 

At  this  meeting  Gordon  agreed  to  go  to  Suakim  to  re- 
port upon  the  best  means  of  giving  effect  to  the  policy  of 
the  government.  Gordon  was  to  act  under  Evelyn  Bar- 
ing, to  which  he  made  no  objection.  He  did  not  think 
the  Mahdi's  insurrection  very  serious,  as  the  tribes  under 
him  would  not  be  ready  to  go  very  far  from  their  homes. 

It  was  further  arranged  that  Gordon  was  to  perform 

343 


RECOLLECTIONS  1884 

such  other  duties  as  might  be  intrusted  to  him  by  the 
government  through  Evelyn  Baring. 

The  Helicon  was  ordered  to  take  him  to  Suakira  :  but 
his  original  orders  were  extended  to  enable  him  to  go  on 
a  mission  via  Korosko  on  the  Nile,  to  withdraw  the  gar- 
rison from  Khartoum. 

Gordon  applied  for  the  services  of  Zebehr,  the  old 
slave  -  owner  ;  but  though  Mr.  Gladstone  thought  he 
ought  not  to  refuse  any  instrument  required  by  our 
agent,  the  Cabinet  would  not  face  the  appointment  of  a 
man  with  so  baneful  a  character.  Gordon,  instead  of 
withdrawing  the  garrison,  reached  Khartoum,  where  he 
proclaimed  the  independence  of  the  Soudan  and  sanc- 
tioned the  retention  of  slaves,  and  established  himself  at 
Khartoum.  The  catastrophe  that  awaited  him  we  all 
know  now. 

On  February  16th  I  dined  with  my  wife  at  Mrs.  Glad- 
stone's ;  Sir  Walter  and  Lady  James,  John  Morley,  Lord 
Acton,  and  Spencer  Lyttelton  were  there.  After  din- 
ner we  talked  about  libraries,  Lord  Acton  saying  he  bad 
over  30,000  historical  volumes  ;  '"and,"  added  Mr.  Glad- 
stone, ''he  knows  the  exact  shelf  on  which  every  volume 
is."  This  brought  us  to  Panizzi,  and  his  sad,  ill  days 
before  his  death,  which  Mr.  Gladstone  attributed  great- 
ly to  the  fact  of  his  living  in  Bloomsbury  Square,  which 
he  did  to  be  near  his  dear  British  Museum.  It  was  out 
of  the  way,  and  he  was  much  worse  off  than  Abraham 
Ilayward  during  his  later  days  in  St.  James's,  where 
his  friends  could  and  did  look  in  and  cheer  him  up. 
Lord  Granville  was  calling  on  Panizzi  and  making  ex- 
cuses for  the  rarity  of  his  visits,  when  the  poor  old  man 
said,  very  irritably,  "I  hope  you'll  never  come  again." 
But  he  soon  recovered  his  temper,  as  who  would  not 
with  Lord  Granville ! 

A  literary  controversy  was  talked  of  between  Panizzi 

344 


1884     LORD    RANDOLPH    CHURCHILL 

and  one  Mazzini,  who,  as  Lord  Acton  said,  wanted  in 
the  revolutionary  days  to  publish  all  the  manuscripts  in 
the  Vatican.  His  namesake,  the  great  Mazzini,  and 
Saffi,  who  married  a  cousin  of  mine.  Miss  Crawford, 
wished  to  destroy  St.  Peter's,  as  the  symbol  of  Cathol- 
icism. 

After  dinner  I  had  a  long  talk  with  John  Morley  about 
the  state  of  politics  and  the  House  of  Commons.  He 
had  a  high  opinion  of  the  power  and  "  nimbleness  "  of 
Lord  Randoli^h  Churchill,  but  hoped  for  the  sake  of  all 
parties  that  he  would  never  lead  any. 

He  regretted  the  failing  health  of  Sir  Stafford  North- 
cote,  and  remarked  that  the  class  of  men  who  made  a 
game  and  an  occupation  of  politics  alone  was  new. 

Home  with  Lord  Acton  and  talked  of  the  prospect  of 
Mr.  Gladstone  being  able  to  retire  from  active  political 
life,  which  seemed  to  me  to  lessen  as  he  grew  older. 

It  was  in  this  year  that  Mrs.  Gladstone  sent  us  an  en- 
graving of  Mr.  Gladstone  for  our  board  room  at  Somer- 
set House,  and  I,  as  chairman,  had  to  thank  her  for  it. 

"  Board  Room,  In'laxd  Re^-ence,  Somerset  House,  March  7,  1884. 

"  My  deak  Mrs.  Gladstone, — I  must  send  you  the  sincere 
thanks  of  the  Board  and  mj'self  for  the  beautiful  print  that  you 
have  presented  to  us  of  Mr.  Gladstone. 

"  To  us  who  have  had  the  honor  and  delight  of  serving  under 
him,  the  value  of  it  is  indeed  great. 

"  To  those  who  succeed  us  it  will  serve  as  a  recollection  of  the 
greatest  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer  that  has  ever  lived,  while  to 
all  of  us  it  will  give  a  noble  example  and  inducement  to  strive  and, 
at  a  great  distance,  humbly  to  follow  him  in  his  career  of  unselfish 
devotion  to  public  duty. 

' '  Algernon  West.  " 

On  April  5th  I  attended  officially  the  funeral  of  the 
Duke  of  Albany  at  "Windsor.  It  was  a  fine  sight,  as  all 
military  pageants  in  St.  George's  are.     The  Queeu  was 

345 


RECOLLECTIONS  1884 

there  near  the  coffin,  which  was  borne  by  Seafortli  High- 
landers. Somewhat  of  the  impressiveness  was  taken  off 
by  the  fact  of  the  poor  Prince's  health  and  occupations 
having  been  so  very  unmilitary  as  to  make  a  military 
funeral  very  incongruous.  The  sun  shone  out  in  the 
midst  of  the  service,  and  Chopin's  music  was  very  effec- 
tive. 

On  coming  to  town,  I  sent  my  daughter  Constance  off 
with  Lord  and  Lady  Granville  via  Leatherhead,  while  I 
followed  with  Frederick  Leveson-Gower  via  Gomshall 
to  Ilolmbury.  The  whole  Granville  family,  Sir  George 
Dasent,  and  Lord  Lymington  were  there,  as  well  as 
Lord  Lyons,  British  Ambassador  at  Paris,  with  \\\&  fidus 
Achates,  George  Sheffield,  who  did  all  the  talking,  while 
Lord  Lyons  listened  with  a  contented  smile. 

It  Avas  said  that  when  Sheffield  went  away  for  his  holi- 
day he  took  the  ambassadorial  chef,  leaving  the  kitchen- 
maid  for  Lord  Lyons. 

Sheffield  had  been  a  long  time  in  the  diplomatic  ser- 
vice, bnt  had  no  ambitions  beyond  Paris,  where  he  knew 
everybody  and  was  very  popular. 

On  the  next  morning  Lord  Granville  drove  me  to  Dor- 
king, where  we  got  news  of  the  enormous  majority  on  the 
Franchise  Bill  (142).  Of  course  it  was  a  sore  tempta- 
tion to  Goschen  to  join  the  Tories,  whom  he  might  lead 
so  easily  and  with  whom  his  interests  really  allied  him. 
Lord  Granville  told  me  of  his  rebuke  to  Lord  Sher- 
brookc,  when  he  voted  against  the  government  after 
taking  a  viscountcy,  and  how  well  he  took  it,  and  how 
cordially  he  had  acted  since,  as  loyally  as  Lord  Aber- 
dare  and  John  Bright.  He  told  Lord  Strathnairn  one 
day  a  question  he  was  going  to  put  in  the  House  of 
Lords  was  out  of  order.  Lord  Strathnairn  was  very  in- 
dignant and  turned  his  back  and  walked  away.  Lord 
Granville  said:    ''Oh,  Strathnairn,  did  you  know  Lady 

346 


1884     LORD    GRANVILLE'S    ANECDOTES 

S was  in  town  ?"    Lord   Strathnairn   was   at  once 

mollified. 

Talking  of  Cabinets,  he  said  the  one  in  which  secrets 
had  been  best  kept  was  Gladstone's  first  Cabinet.  Mr. 
Gladstone  followed  Sir  Eobert  Peel's  example  in  always 
writing  an  agendum  for  the  day.  He  was  too  much  a 
man  of  business  to  like  gossip  at  a  Cabinet  meeting, 
whereas  Lord  Aberdeen  often  sat  for  hours  listening 
and  never  saying  a  word.  This  Cabinet  had  been  very 
leaky.  Charles  Villiers  and  Lord  Clarendon  were  fond 
of  talking  too  much  in  society. 

He  said  how  few  people  knew  what  a  great  man  Sir 
George  Grey  was  in  council ;  that  in  Lord  Palmerston's 
and  Russell's  governments  he  was  a  dictator,  and  used  to 
bowl  over  Lord  Westbury  on  points  of  law. 

Who  could  be  Mr.  Gladstone's  biographer?  He  would 
be  overwhelmed  by  materials,  and  a  syndicate  at  least 
would  be  required  to  write  the  life. 

On  April  22d,  at  9.20,  I  was  awakened  in  St.  James's 
Palace  by  two  distinct  shocks  of  earthquake.  I  thought 
it  was  Horace's  dog  scratching  itself  under  my  bed,  and 
afterwards  that  it  was  the  steam-roller,  but  during  the 
day  I  heard  that  shocks  had  been  felt  very  seriously  in 
Essex. 

Lord  Granville  was  our  constant  and  delightful  guest 
at  Wanborough,  riding  and  driving  all  about  the  coun- 
try. I  had  hit  upon  a  lovely  spot  on  the  Hog's  Back,  in 
a  wood  overlooking  the  hills  away  to  the  South  Downs, 
that  I  suggested  should  be  bought  by  him  on  which  to 
build  a  house.  He  commissioned  me  to  buy  it  for  him, 
which  I  did  after  a  long  correspondence  with  Mr.  More- 
Molyneux,  who  was  the  owner  of  Loseley.  A  hundred 
letters  from  Lord  Granville  lie  before  me,  but  the  saddest 
of  all  was  that  in  which  he  abandoned  hope  of  being  our 
neighbor. 

347 


RECOLLECTIONS  1884 

"Foreign  Office,  April  27,  1884. 
"My  dear  Algt,— I  slill  think  the  chalk  pits  are  the  best  site  in 
England,  and  tlie  most  convenient.     But  in  a  fortniglit  I  shall  enter 
my  seventietli  year,  and  my  building  courage  is  diminishing. 

"You  said  that  your  friend  could  find  no  site  he  liked  belter, 
and  that  he  regretted  the  pits.  But  this  is  the  sort  of  thing  people 
are  apt  to  think  wlien  they  cannot  get  a  thing. 

"  Would  it  be  worth  while  to  tell  him  that  he  may  have  my 
rights,  on  payment  of  anything  1  liave  disbursed  in  legal  expenses, 
rents,  planting,  etc.,  etc.? 

"  If  you  do  not  want  him,  or  if  he  refuses,  please  do  not  mention 
my  offer. 

"Yours, 

"G." 

On  May  loth  I  called  at  Downing  Street,  and  had  tea 
witli  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gladstone.  He  was  in  good  spirits 
and  talked  about  the  revenue,  and  then  about  the  de- 
bate of  want  of  confidence.  He  thought  Goschen  had 
behaved  well,  and  he  had  written  to  him  to  say  so  :  he 
showed  me  his  answer,  which  was  very  nice  ;  but  Forster 
had  made  a  distinct  accusation  against  them  of  acting 
against  their  consciences.  I  said  I  supj)osed  it  was  very 
difficult,  looking  at  the  many  examples  to  the  contrary, 
for  a  man  to  leave  a  government  and  to  behave  loyal- 
ly afterwards.  Mr.  Gladstone  said  :  "^  I  once  did  so  and 
behaved  well,  and  once  did  so  and  behaved  badly.  When 
I  left  Peel's  government,  I  made  a  long  and  strong 
speech  for  the  government  on  the  sugar  duties.  Peel, 
who  rarely  employed  exaggerated  language,  turned  round 
and  said  to  me,  'That  was  a  wonderful  speech.' 

''  The  other  time,  when  I  left  Palmerston,  I  found  ni}^- 
self  in  sharp  conflict  with  Lewis  on  all  matters  of  finance, 
one  of  his  doctrines  being  that  you  should  impose  as 
many  small  customs  duties  as  you  could.  But  when  I 
was  back  with  him,  I  found  that  I  was  still  in  conflict 
with  him  on  all  such  matters  in  the  Cabinet,  and  so  I 

348 


1884     CIVIL    SERVANTS'    PHOTOGRAPHS 

was  satisfied  that  my  outside  conduct  was  not  the  result 
of  anything  but  conviction  and  real  difference." 

After  Mr.  Gladstone  had  gone  to  the  House  of  Com- 
mons, Mrs.  Gladstone  said  he  had  felt  Forster's  conduct 
very  much,  and  it  was  hard  after  all  his  loyalty  to  him 
when  in  Ireland,  when  he  knew  he  was  a  failure,  and  how 
he  had  said,  "I  shall  swim  or  sink  with  him." 

Among  our  visitors  at  Wanborough  were  Andrew 
Hichens  and  his  charming  wife,  both  of  whom  were  en- 
amoured of  the  site  Lord  Granville  had  chosen,  and 
readily  took  advantage  of  the  opportunity  of  buying  it, 
and  erecting  on  it,  with  the  help  of  Mr.  Devey,  a 
beautiful  house  ;  my  son,  who  was  assisting  him  at  that 
time,  spending  three  months  there  as  clerk  of  the 
works. 

A  conversation  I  had  with  Mr.  Gladstone  —  already 
mentioned — put  it  into  my  head  to  make  a  collection  of 
photographs  of  all  the  distinguished  civil  servants  who 
had  been  associated  with  him  in  his  official  career,  and 
put  them  into  a  screen,  which  he  constantly  kept  on  his 
table. 

I  do  not  know  whether  he,  or  those  who  gave  me  their 
photographs,  were  more  pleased  ;  so  many  of  them  wrote 
to  me  appreciating  the  honor.  Sir  Erskine  May's  and 
Sir  John  Lambert's  letters  are  only  specimens  of  many 
I  received. 

"Board  Room,  Island  Rkvexue,  Somerset  House,  May  19,  1884. 

"My  dear  Mr.  Gladstoxe,— Some  time  ago  you  told  me  that 
you  would  like  a  collection  of  photographs  of  those  civil  servants 
who  have  had  the  honor  of  being  closely  associated  with  you  in 
your  official  duties.  I  have  done  my  best  to  make  this  collection, 
which  I  now  beg  you  to  accept. 

"On  looking  over  the  roll  of  distinguished  men  I  feel  that  I 
owe  you  an  apology  for  the  irresistible  vanity  that  has  led  me  to 
include  myself  among  the  number. 

"  Algernon  West." 
349 


RECOLLECTIONS  1884 

"  10  Downing  Street,  Wuitehall,  May  21,  1884. 
"  My  dear  West, — I  hardly  know  how  to  thank  you  for  your 
most  kind  and  most  interesting  gift.  It  is  a  noble  record  of  a  civil 
service,  never,  I  suppose,  excelled  in  any  age  or  country.  Still,  I 
am  somewhat  ashamed  when  I  think  of  the  time  and  pains  it  must 
have  cost  you,  for  whicli  my  cordial  tlianks  are  indeed  ijut  an  un- 
worthy acknowledgment. 

"  Believe  me,  sincerely  yours, 

"W.  E.  Gladstone." 
< 

"MiLFORD  House,  Elms  Road,  Clapham  Commons,  S.W.,  May  24,  1884. 

"  My  dear  ]\Ir.  West, — It  was  very  kind  and  considerate  of 
you  to  send  me  an  extract  from  Mr.  Gladstone's  letter. 

"I  feel  that  it  is  a  great  privilege  to  have  my  photograpli  as- 
sociated with  those  ot  the  class  of  which  he  speaks  in  such  com- 
mendatory terras,  and  the  knowledge  which  I  have  of  their  high 
qualifications  and  distinguished  merits  enables  me  to  appreciate 
that  privilege  all  the  more. 

"I  shall  place  your  letter  with  the  many  other  records  which 
I  possess  of  Mr.  Gladstone's  singular  generosity  in  estimating  the 
services  of  those  who  have  had  the  happiness  of  working  under 
him.  Believe  me,  very  truly  yours, 

"  John  Lambert. 

"Algernon  AVest,  Esq.,  C.B." 

"  House  op  Commons,  May  29, 1884. 
"My  dear  West, — Pray  accept  my  best  thanks  for  your  kind 
letter,  and  its  very  interesting  inclosure. 

"Mr.  Gladstone  knows,  and  is  ever  ready  to  acknowledge,  the 
obligations  of  statesmen  to  those  who  labor  with  them,  silently 
and  unobtrusively,  in  the  government  of  the  state. 

"He  could  even  tell  you  of  reputations  which  have  been  won, 
or  sustained,  in  great  measure  by  the  vigor  and  capacity  of  ad- 
visers, of  whom  the  world  has  known  nothing. 

"Of  such  services  he  has  himself  shown  a  generous  apprecia- 
tion. His  own  gifts  are  so  transcendent  that  he  is  able  to  dis- 
cern and  value  the  merits  of  fellow-workers,  without  jealousy  or 
grudging. 

"I  shall  liope,  some  day,  to  be  allowed  to  see  the  'noble  record' 
of  which  he  speaks  in  terms  so  flattering. 

"I  am,  yours  very  truly, 

' '  T.  Erskine  May. 
"Algernon  E.  West,  Esq.,  C.B." 

350 


1884      GLADSTONE    ON    POLITICIANS 

On  May  22d  Mr.  Gladstone,  Sir  Farrer  and  Lady 
Herschell,  and  Ellis  Gosling  dined  with  us. 

Herschell  told  ns  that  the  Bishop  of  Carlisle  (Percy) 
was  very  famous  for  his  bad  dinners,  food,  and  drink. 
One  day  he  entertained  the  Bar,  and  the  junior  members, 
disgusted  with  their  scanty  food  and  wine,  became  rather 
noisy  at  the  end  of  the  table.  The  Bishop  remarked  on 
it  to  Mr.  Justice  Maule,  who  said  :  ' 

"  Yes,  my  Lord,  it  is  apt  to  happen  when  men  take  a 
little  wine  on  an  empty  stomach." 

Mr.  Gladstone  discussed  various  politicians.  He  thought 
Lord  John  Manners  a  much  abler  man  than  was  generally 
acknowledged  by  his  party.  He  admitted  Lord  Eandolph 
Churchill's  great  cleverness,  but  did  not  think  he  would 
be  a  leader  in  the  immediate  future.  If  he  came  into 
office  and  was  rude  to  permanent  officials,  he  would  have 
some  severe  lessons  to  learn. 

Mr.  Gladstone  asserted  as  an  invariable  and  deplorable 
rule  that  Liberals  who  deserted  their  party  improved  as 
speakers  in  Parliament:  Bernal  Osborne  and  Lowe  were 
strong  instances  in  point,  and  he  often  regretted,  when 
Lowe  was  in  office,  his  speeches  when  in  Opposition. 

He  did  not  know  of  any  examples  on  the  other  side, 
and  he  thouarht  it  was  much  to  the  credit  of  the  Lib- 
eral  party  that  it  still  existed  after  the  loss  of  so  many 
good  men. 

"As  a  boy,"  he  said,  ''I  was  remarkably  short,  and 
my  greatest  ambition,  a  very  moderate  one,  was  up  to 
fourteen  to  be  5  feet  high ;  but  to  my  distress,  on  my 
fourteenth  birthday  I  was  only  4  feet,  10|  inches,  most  of 
my  growth  being  after  I  was  sixteen,  and  now  I  am 
shorter  than  I  was  as  a  young  man." 

I  told  him  that  it  was  the  natural  tendency  of  advanc- 
ing years,  and  repeated  a  story  I  had  heard  from  Lowell 
of  how  when  Methuselah  had  attained  his  thousandth 

351 


RECOLLECTIONS  1884 

year  his  friends  went  to  congratulate  him.  He  said, 
''I  am  pretty  well,  thank  you,  but  those  d — d  shoe- 
strings will  go  flapping  in  my  face." 

On  May  31st,  on  my  arrival  at  Guildford  station,  I  heard 
of  two  successful  dynamite  explosions  in  St.  James's 
Square  and  in  Scotland  Yard,  and  an  unsuccessful  at- 
tempt at  the  foot  of  Nelson's  monument.  My  son  and 
daughter  at  St.  James's  heard  the  noise,  and  the  house- 
maid, from  an  upper  window,  saw  Avhat  she  thought  was 
a  lightning  flash.  It  is  very  curious  how  calmly  people 
take  these  outrages  as  matters  of  course. 

On  June  11th  we  dined  at  Mr.  Ghidstone's  :  Frank  and 
Lady  Louisa  Egerton,  Lord  Lome,  Mr.  Bruce,  Lady 
Sarah  Spencer,  Mr.  Browning,  and  Mr.  Tenniel. 

Browning  told  us  a  curious  story  of  Ruskin,  who, 
Avhen  a  young  man,  was  staying  in  an  obscure  valley 
among  the  hills  of  Switzerland.  On  asking  why  a  cer- 
tain field  was  left  waste  amid  the  surrounding  cultiva- 
tion, he  was  told  because  it  was  haunted;  "for,"  they 
said,  ''all  the  children,  but  not  we,  can  see  an  old  woman 
sitting  there  under  the  tree."  He  ridiculed  the  idea, 
but  some  time  later  he  moved  to  a  village  some  fifteen 
miles  away,  and  lived  with  a  family  who  had  never  left 
their  native  home  ;  he  asked  if  he  might  take  their  young 
daughter  for  a  visit  to  the  place  he  had  left,  and  took  a 
carriage  for  that  purpose.  As  he  approached  the  field, 
he  said  to  the  girl : 

"  Your  eyes  are  younger  than  mine,  tell  me  if  you  can 
see  any  one." 

''Nobody,"  she  said,  "except  an  old  woman  sitting 
under  the  tree." 

"  Well,"  said  he,  "  what  is  she  like  ?" 
"I  can  only  see  her  back,"  she  said,  and  then  suddenly, 
with  a  voice  of  fear,  "  Oh,  she  has  turned  now,  and  I 
can  see  her  face  with  two  holes  where  her  eyes  should  be." 

352 


1884  TENNIEL    AND    PUNCH 

Mr.  Gladstone,  talking  of  Fronde's  Carhjle,  said  it 
was  a  splendid  argnment  carried  on  between  Carlyle  and 
Mrs.  Carlyle  as  to  whether  she  should  marry  him,  with 
the  balance  of  advantage  on  her  side.  Browning  said  she 
was  an  old  friend  of  his,  but  had  quarrelled  with  him 
on  his  return,  after  years  of  foreign  travel,  for  putting 
down  her  kettle  on  the  rug  in  her  house. 

Tenniel  told  us  that  the  Punch  contributors  met 
each  Aveek,  on  a  Wednesday,  to  settle  the  cartoon  for  the 
following  number;  that  he  had  Thursday  to  think  it 
over,  and  Friday  to  draw  it,  after  which  it  went  to  the 
engraver  and  was  in  type  by  Saturday  ;  he  saw  no  proof 
and  had  no  opportunity  of  correcting  his  original  sketch. 
I  asked  him  why  Lord  Palmerston  was  always  drawn  in 
Punch  with  a  straw  in  his  mouth,  and  he  told  me  that, 
being  a  difficult  likeness  to  catch,  they  were  obliged  to 
do  something  which  the  public  should  always  recognize ; 
for  the  same  reason  Mr.  Bright  was  always  drawn  as 
wearing  a  broad-brimmed  Quaker's  hat  and  an  eye-glass, 
neither  of  which  he  ever  wore. 

Mr.  Gladstone  said  it  was  an  odd  thing  that  the  aver- 
age duration  of  Ministries  was  as  long  after  as  before  the 
Eeform  Bill.  He  was  within  three  weeks  of  equalling 
Palmerston,  so  if  he  were  turned  out  next  week  he  would 
run  him  very  close. 

I  went  on  to  the  Cosmopolitan,  where  I  had  a  long 
talk  with  a  distinguished  Irishman,  who  was  strongly 
opposed  to  an  extension  of  the  franchise,  as  likely  to 
lower  Parliament  and  flood  it  with  men  like  Ashmead 
Bartlett,  instead  of  men  like  Henry  Cowper,  the  former 
being  only  a  platform  speaker,  and  the  latter  a  sensible 
man  who  could  not  speak. 

"Walter  Northcote  was  dining  one  night  at  Rathbone's. 
A  Radical,  Sir  Lyon  Playfair,  was  there,  and  described 
the  discovery  of  a  new  animal  with  a  small  part  of  its 
Z  353 


RECOLLECTIONS  1884 

brains  in  its  head,  and  the  greater  part  in  its  taiL 
''Like  the  Conservative  party,"  said  Rathbone,  forget- 
ting Northcote's  presence ;  thus  adding  another  to  the 
many  things  "one  would  rather  not  have  said." 

In  June  there  was  an  election  at  Brighton.  Marriott, 
who  had  deserted  his  party,  stood  against  Romer,  and 
Godfrey  Webb  made  this  epigram: 

"Said  Gladstone,  passing  Mr.  Marriott: 
'  I  sniff  an  odor  of  Iscariot.' 
Said  Marriott,  '  He  would  rather  sniff 
Aroma  fresh  from  Brighton  cliff. ' " 

On  June  24:th,  walking  away  from  a  house  where  we 
had  been  dining,  Charles  Clifford  told  me  that  he  re- 
gretted not  having  congratulated  our  host  on  his  daugh- 
ter's marriage.  I  said:  "That  is  lucky,  as  it  is  broken 
off ;  I  always  think  it  wiser  only  to  squeeze  a  man's 
hand,  as  that  does  not  commit  you;  it  may  mean  sym- 
pathy, congratulation,  or  condolence." 

He  regretted  that  he  had  never  kept  a  diary  all  the 
time  he  had  been  on  confidential  and  intimate  terms 
Avith  Lord  Palmerston;  and  we  talked  of  Charles  Gre- 
viile's  Memoirs,  just  published,  and  both  agreed  that  we 
had  never  seen  any  charm  in  Charles  Greville  personally, 
though  he  was  probably  more  popular  tiuui  his  brother, 
Henry,  who  was  very  exclusive,  but  very  kind. 

Clifford  recollected  Rogers  well,  who  hated  most  peo- 
ple, but  Henry  Greville  particularly.  On  coming  down 
to  an  early  breakfast  once,  at  Panshauger,  he  found 
Henry  Greville. 

"  Are  you  going  to  town  ?"  he  said. 

"Yes,"  said  Henry  Greville. 

"Must  you  go  to  town?" 

"Yes,  I  am  afraid  I  must. 

"Then  I  shall  stay,"  snarled  Rogers. 

354 


1884  THE    SUEZ    CANAL 

On  June  25th  we  went  to  Hallam  Tennyson's  wedding 
in  Henry  the  Eighth's  Chapel,  which  was  an  imposing 
ceremony,  from  the  historical  associations  of  the  place 
and  the  presence  of  Mr.  Gladstone  and  many  literary 
people,  including  the  Poet  Laureate. 

In  the  evening  I  went  to  the  Cosmopolitan  with  Spen- 
cer Lyttelton  and  Arthur  Elliot,  where  we  discussed  the 
political  line  the  Tories  were  taking  by  constant  repe- 
titions of  votes  of  want  of  confidence  on  the  Egyptian 
question. 

Mr.  Gladstone  still  kept  up  his  Thursday  breakfasts, 
and  on  June  26tli  I  met  there  Henry  Cowper,  Lord  Dal- 
housie,  Herbert  Bismarck,  Sir  George  Dasent,  and  others. 

In  talking  of  the  Suez  Canal,  and  Lord  Palmerston's 
opposition  to  it,  Mr.  Gladstone  said  he  thought  De 
Lesseps's  name  would  hereafter  be  associated  with  those 
of  Vasco  de  Gama  and  Columbus. 

I  heard  a  good  story  of  how,  at  a  Jewish  feast,  one  of 
the  guests  saw  a  fellow-guest  put  a  beautiful  spoon  up 
his  sleeve.  On  returning  thanks  for  the  hospitality 
shown  them,  the  man  who  saw  this  said  he  regretted  he 
had  nothing  amusing  to  tell  his  host,  but  he  could  show 
him  a  conjuring  trick.  Putting  a  valuable  spoon  in  his 
sleeve,  he  said:  "Hey,  presto!  you  will  find  the  spoon  in 
the  sleeve  of  the  gentleman  sitting  opposite  " — where  it 
was — and  the  speaker  walked  off  with  his  spoon.  This 
reminds  me  of  another  Jewish  transaction :  An  old 
Jew,  dying,  said  to  his  two  sons,  'I  don't  like  leaving 
this  world  as  a  pauper ;  pray  put  a  couple  of  hundred 
pounds  in  my  coffin"  —  which  they  promised  to  do. 
Before  the  funeral  the  one  brother  said,  "Have  you 
done  what  my  father  wished  ?"  "  Yes,"  said  the  other, 
"  I  have."  The  first  brother,  being  suspicious,  opened 
the  coffin  and  found  a  crossed  check  for  £200  in  it! 

The  world  is  all  agog  about  what  the  Lords  will  do  on 

355 


IIECOLLECTIONS  1884 

the  Francliise  Bill.  People  seem  still  to  hope  they  M'ill 
have  sufficient  wisdom  to  pass  a  measure  seut  up  to  them 
from  the  House  of  Commons  wem.  con.,  but  I  have  no 
such  hope,  and  think,  on  the  whole,  that  their  throwing 
it  out  must  lead  to  a  reform  much  more  important  than 
an  immediate  extension  of  the  franchise. 

On  July  4th  we  went  to  Belgrave  Square  to  inquire 
after  Lady  Halifax,  and  found  Lord  Halifax,  who  was 
exhausted  by  the  heat,  but  still  active.  He  had  just 
returned  from  an  attempted  negotiation  with  the  Duke 
of  Eichmoud  as  to  the  action  of  the  House  of  Lords, 
and  this  was  the  last  time  I  saw  him.  Lady  Halifax 
died  the  following  day,  and  he  a  year  afterwards;  thus 
we  lost  two  friends  who  had  been  kind  to  us  through  all 
our  married  life. 

On  Sunday,  July  5th,  we  went  to  George  Wolverton's 
place  in  Coombe  Wood,  where  we  saw  Bertram  Currie's 
bust  of  Mr.  Gladstone,  for  which  he  wanted  a  suitable 
inscription.  I  tried  Welby,  who  gave  me  the  following, 
which  Currie  thought  good  but  too  long: 

"Piilrliruni  ominere  est  inter  illustres  vires, 
Consulcre  putriue,  parcere  afflictis,  fera 
Cfcdo  abstiiicre,  tempus  atque  iraj  dare, 
Orbi  quietem,  sieculo  paccra  svio: 
Hsec  summa  virtus,  petitur  Lac  Coelum  viS." 

On  the  0th  the  Lords  threw  out  the  Ilcform  Bill  by 
59,  Lord  Rosebery  making  an  excellent  speech,  and  on 
the  10th  there  was  a  great  meeting  of  the  Liberal  party 
at  the  Foreign  Office. 

A  few  days  later  we  dined  at  Lord  Granville's,  where 
the  action  of  the  Lords  was  the  main  topic  of  conversa- 
tion, but  he  told  us  that  when  Cetewayo  was  here  he 
asked  what  the  Achilles  statue  was,  and  learned  that  it 
was  in  honor  of  our  great  general,  the  Duke  of  Welling- 

356 


1884      GLADSTONE    AND    HAY  WARD 

ton.  He  said,  turning  to  one  of  his  chiefs  :  "  Yon  see  it 
was  not  so  very  long  ago  since  they  fought,  as  we  do, 
without  clothes/' 

On  July  18th  the  proposed  compromise  was  defeated 
in  the  Lords  by  50. 

Miss  Laura  Tennant  and  her  sister  Margot  came  to 
Wanborough,  and  paid  us  a  delightful  visit,  which,  to 
me,  was  only  marred  by  the  news  of  the  death  of  my  old 
friend,  Jervoise  Smith,  to  whose  sad  funeral  I  went. 
Their  visit  was  a  long  one,  and  each  day  added  to  their 
charm. 

On  August  6th  I  heard  that  Lord  Northbrook  was  to  go 
to  Egypt,  for  troubles  there  were  thickening  and  Mr.  Glad- 
stone had  persuaded  him  to  proceed  on  a  financial  mission 
to  Cairo,  where,  in  co-operation  with  Evelyn  Baring,  he 
was  to  prepare  a  report  for  the  Cabinet.  It  was  a  great 
demand  to  make  on  the  First  Lord  of  the  Admiralty  to 
enter  into  such  a  difficult  field,  which  of  course  entailed 
his  leaving  naval  affairs  at  home  to  other  hands  ;  and  the 
result  was  very  prejudicial  to  Lord  Northbrook  himself. 

Some  time  after  the  fall  of  Mr.  Gladstone's  Cabinet  it 
was  discovered  in  a  committee  of  the  House  of  Com- 
mons that  the  accounts  at  the  Admiralty  had  been  mis- 
managed, but  Northbrook,  Avith  a  loyalty  which  some 
people  thought  almost  Quixotic,  took  the  whole  respon- 
sibility, which  should  really  not  have  been  his,  on  his 
own  shoulders. 

On  the  12th  I  went  to  a  country-house  built  by  P. 
Ealli,  on  ground  which  Lord  Granville  had  once  bought. 
Ealli  reminded  me  of  a  dinner  at  his  house  when  Hay- 
ward  shocked  us  and  Mr.  Gladstone  as  to  his  views  on  a 
future  state.  Sir  Andrew  Clark  was  there.  The  follow- 
ing day  Mr.  Gladstone  wrote  twelve  pages  to  Abraham 
Hayward,  who,  when  he  was  dying,  said :  "  Tell  Mr. 
Gladstone  I  do  not  die  an  unbeliever." 

357 


RECOLLECTIONS  1884 

Mr.  J.  S.  Morgan  asked  me  to  go  with  him  to  America 
for  a  long  visit,  which,  of  course,  I  had  to  decline  with 
many  regrets. 

On  August  2Gth  I  heard  of  Lord  Ampthill's  death  at 
Berlin ;  my  friendship  with  him  dated  back  to  the  days 
when  I  lodged  with  my  brother  Kichard  in  Queen  Street, 
and  he  used  to  come  and  sing  and  play  by  the  hour  to- 
gether. Two  years  ago  he  begged  me  to  go  with  him  to 
Carlsbad  to  get  assured  health.  How  delightful  will  his 
Memoirs  be  one  day,  and  his  letters  from  the  German 
headquarters  in  the  Franco-German  war,  every  page  of 
which  was  full  of  interesting  accounts  of  his  long  inter- 
views with  Bismarck ! 

In  September  we  were  at  Wanborough,  where  Lord 
Granville  paid  us  a  visit.  We  had  long  talks  on  Gor- 
don's extraordinary  despatches,  and  heard  that  there  Avas 
an  idea  afloat  of  Lord  Wolseley's  going  out  to  replace 
him  in  Egypt. 

One  evening  we  had  a  long  argument  as  to  whether  a 
Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer  who  was  prudent  in  his 
domestic  affairs  would  necessarily  be  equally  so  in  the 
affairs  of  the  nation.  William  Pitt  was  extravagant,  but 
a  prudent  financier;  or,  as  Lord  Eosebery  puts  it,  he 
watched  over  the  Treasury  like  Sully,  and  conducted  his 
own  affairs  like  Charles  Surface. 


CHAPTER   XIX 

1884-1885 

Dinner  at  Brooks's— Mr.  Gladstone  on  Lord  Lytton— His  Views  on 
the  Chiltern  Hundreds  and  on  Mr.  Parnell— Sir  William  Har- 
court  on  Disraeli's  Reform  Bill — Visits  to  Netherby  and  the 
Glen — Mr.  Childers  as  Cbancellor  of  the  Exchequer — Sir  Charles 
Trevelyau's  Dispute  -with  Mr.  James  Wilson— Introduction  of 
the  Franchise  Bill— Conflict  between  the  two  Houses — Death 
of  Mr.  Fawcett  —  Laborers'  Views  of  the  Franchise  —  Lord 
Dufferin  Starts  for  India — Negotiations  with  Walter  Northcote 
— Secret  Meeting  between  Sir  Stafford  Northcote  and  Mr. 
Gladstone — Letter  from  Mr.  Leonard  Courtney — Death  of  Mr. 
Henley  —  His  Views  on  Asylums  —  Conversation  with  Mr. 
Charles  Villiers— His  Views  on  Social  Morality,  Money-making, 
Protection  —  Huskisson's  Remark  on  Peel  —  Croker's  Memoirs 
— Guizot's  View  of  Croker— The  Duke  of  Wellington's  Policy — 
Mme.  Jane  Hading  in  "Le  Maitre  de  Forges"  and  "Frou- 
Frou"  —  Anecdote  of  Charles  Matthews  —  Letter  from  Lord 
Aberdare— Walter  Northcote's  Report— News  from  the  Soudan 
— Explosion  in  the  House  of  Commons. 

Ik  October  everybody  came  up  to  London,  and  on 
the  7th  Eddie  Hamilton  and  I  gave  a  little  dinner  at 
Brooks's,  consisting  of  Mr.  Gladstone,  Lord  Spencer, 
Sir  William  Harcourt,  Mr.  Bnckle,  editor  of  the  Times, 
and  Spencer  Lyttelton. 

The  conversation  at  first  was  over  my  head  at  any  rate 
— St.  Thomas  Aqninas  and  Koger  Bacon,  where  the 
Scotch  got  their  Sabbatarian  views  from,  and  when 
English  pronunciation  of  Latin  began,  probably  at  the 
time   of   the  Reformation,    which  was  a  bad   time  for 

359 


RECOLLECTIONS  1884- 

English  literature.  Then  about  Lord  and  Lady  Lytton, 
wliose  Memoirs  had  just  been  publislied.  Mr.  Ghid- 
stone  said  he  was  a  curious  mixture  of  a  Radical  and  a 
Protectionist ;  the  latter  prevailing  drove  him  to  the 
Tories.  The  general  moral  tone  of  the  House  of  Com- 
mons he  held  to  be  much  higher  since  the  extension  of 
the  franchise,  but  offences  of  individual  members  more 
frequent. 

Mr.  Gladstone  condemned  the  practice  of  allowing 
Chancellors  of  the  Exchequer  to  give  the  Chiltern 
Hundreds  to  any  Member  of  Parliament  who  applied 
for  them.  In  Lord  Aberdeen's  government  he  had 
tried  to  alter  the  practice,  but  had  only  so  far  suc- 
ceeded as  to  have  the  words,  "  in  consideration  of  your 
shining  virtues,"  eliminated. 

Mr.. Gladstone  said  that  he  had  a  sneaking  liking  for 
Parnell,  and  thought  Home  Rule  for  Ireland  would  be  a 
matter  for  serious  consideration  before  ten  years  were 
over.  Lord  Spencer  told  us  of  a  curious  speech  of 
Davitt's,  in  which  he  said  separation  was  impossible. 
Sir  William  Ilarcourt  amused  us  about  Disraeli's  Re- 
form Bill  of  18GG.  Dclane  had  told  him  that  months 
before  its  production  Disraeli  had  actually  given  him  a 
copy  of  a  Bill  enfranchising  householders,  and  that  he 
had  accepted  Ilodgkinson's  amendment  to  include  them 
entirely  on  his  own  responsibility. 

Some  time  after,  on  visiting  Derby  on  Inland  Revenue 
business,  I  came  in  as  one  of  the  audience  for  a  good 
speech  from  Sir  William  Ilarcourt ;  and  the  following 
day  went  to  Netherby,  Sir  Frederick  and  Lady  llurmione 
Graham's,  where  I  fished  a  great  deal,  with  no  success, 
though  the  river  was  full  of  fish. 

While  we  were  there  Lady  Hermione  was  sent  for  to 
her  mother,  the  Duchess  of  Somerset,  who  was  very  ill, 
I  recollect  her  as  the  Queen  of  Beauty  in  the  Eglinton 

300 


1885         VISIT    TO    THE    TENNANTS 

Tournament ;  she  was  very  witty  as  well  as  beautiful. 
Once,  liokling  a  stall  at  a  charity  bazaar,  she  asked  Lord 
Suffolk,  who  was  a  short  and  fat  man,  to  buy  some- 
thing ;  he  declined,  saying  lie  was  not  the  prodigal  son. 
"No,"  she  replied,  ''you  are  much  more  like  the  fatted 

calf." 

My  wife,  my  daughter  Constance,  and  I  went  on 
October  18th  to  pay  a  visit  to  Lady  Tennant  at  Glen, 
our  first  visit  to  a  place  where  I  was  afterwards  to  spend 
so  many  happy  days. 

It  is  impossible  to  exaggerate  the  charm  of  the  place, 
situated  in  a  green  valley  with  a  small  trout  stream  losing 
itself  in  the  woods  of  birch,  looking  purple  in  autumn 
tints,  while  the  house  was  full  of  lovely  pictures  collected 
by  Sir  Charles  Tennant.  The  inhabitants  it  would  be 
idle  to  describe  and  impertinent  to  praise  ;  but  it  is  true 
to  say  that  a  happier  or  cleverer  family  never  made  a 
country-house  more  delightful. 

On  November  1st,  after  inspecting  several  Revenue 
offices  and  joining  and  again  leaving  my  wife  at  Francis 
Grey's  at  Morpeth,  I  returned  to  London  ;  and  on  the 
4th  had  a  long  interview  with  the  Chancellor  of  the 
Exchequer. 

I  used  always  to  wonder  at  the  satire  of  events  that 
put  Ward  Hunt  at  the  Exchequer  in  succession  to  Dis- 
raeli ;  but  it  is  equally  wonderful  to  think  of  Mr. 
Childers  as  successor  to  Mr.  Gladstone,  though,  of 
course,  from  his  experience  at  the  Treasury,  where  he 
had  been  instrumental  in  passing  the  Exchequer  and 
Audit  Act,  he  had  gained  a  great  knowledge  of  figures, 
of  which  he  was  always  a  clear  exponent.  He  was  one 
of  the  few  who  thoroughly  mastered  finance  accounts 
and  the  statistical  abstracts,  but  beyond  that  he  hardly 
appeared  to  possess  the  qualifications  necessary  for  the 

office. 

361 


RECOLLECTIONS  1884- 

On  reading  Lord  Malmesbiiry's  amusing  Memoirs,  his 
description  of  how  he  snubbed  Lord  Aberdeen  reminded 
me  of  a  quarrel  which  Mr.  Gladstone  had  to  adjust  be- 
tween Sir  Charles  Trevelyan  and  i\Ir.  James  Wilson, 
Joint  Secretaries  of  the  Treasury.  When  the  interview 
was  to  have  taken  place,  Wilson  came  and  said  it  was  all 
settled.  He  had  spoken  strongly  to  Trevtlyan,  who  was 
thoroughly  ashamed  of  himself,  and  had  promised  to 
behave  better  in  future.  Two  minutes  after  Trevelyan 
came  and  said  he  had  been  obliged  to  speak  very  severely 
to  Wilson,  who  had  burst  into  tears! 

In  January,  1884,  we  heard  of  the  fighting  in  Egypt, 
and  of  the  death  of  poor  Burnaby  at  Abu  Klea. 

The  Franchise  Bill  was  introduced  by  Mr.  Gladstone 
on  February  29th,  the  second  reading  being  moved  by 
Lord  Ilartington. 

The  Conservatives  protested  against  the  separation  of 
Redistribution  from  the  Franchise  question,  Sir  Stafford 
Northcotc  contending  that  it  Avas  impossible  to  decide 
on  a  Bill  which  was  only  a  portion  of  a  larger  scheme, 
but  what  that  larger  scheme  was  nobody  knew. 

Mr.  Gladstone  said  that  a  knowledge  of  the  manner  in 
which  the  new  franchises  would  distribute  themselves  was 
almost  essential  to  determining  prudently  the  details  of 
the  plan  of  redistribution.  It  was  only  when  the  Fran- 
chise Bill  and  the  Registration  Bill  had  been  passed  that 
they  would  be  in  a  position  to  deal  justly  and  finally 
with  the  subject  of  redistribution. 

Lord  John  Maiiners's  amendment  giving  effect  to  the 
view  of  the  Opposition  was  defeated,  the  government 
obtaining  a  majority  of  130,  and  the  Bill  being  read  a 
second  time  without  a  division. 

During  the  progress  of  the  Bill  in  Committee  the  dif- 
ferences between  the  government  and  the  Opposition 
became  very  much  accentuated,  and,  speaking  at  Plym- 

302 


^1885  THE    FRANCHISE    BILL 

outli  on  June  5th,  Lord  Salisbury  said  tliat,  though  he 
had  no  objection  to  seeing  an  extended  franchise  ac- 
corded, in  his  eyes  the  first  essential  of  the  whole  ques- 
tion was  redistribution,  and,  speaking  only  for  himself, 
he  strongly  recommended  the  Lords  to  throw  out  the 
present  Bill. 

In  moving  the  third  reading  of  the  Bill  Mr.  Gladstone 
referred  to  the  ominous  utterances  out-of-doors  threaten- 
ing the  rejection  of  the  Bill,  The  attitude  of  the  gov- 
ernment hitherto,  he  said,  had  been  in  Shakespeare's 
words : 

"  Beware 
Of  entrance  to  a  quarrel ;  but,  being  in, 
Bear  't  that  the  opposed  may  beware  of  thee." 

The  Bill  was  read  a  third  time  on  June  27th  in  the 
Commons,  and  introduced  in  the  House  of  Lords  on  the 
same  day.  Lord  Kimberley,  on  the  second  reading,  said 
the  Franchise  Bill  was  not  to  come  into  operation  till 
January,  1886,  and  that  the  Eedistribution  Bill  (which 
he  sketched)  would  be  introduced  next  year  if  the  gov- 
ernment remained  in  office. 

Lord  Cairns  moved  an  amendment  to  the  effect  that 
the  Lords  would  not  assent  to  the  second  reading  of  the 
Bill  unaccompanied  by  a  Redistribution  Bill. 

The  amendment  was  carried,  and  progress  of  the  Bill 
thereby  naturally  stopped. 

The  conflict  between  the  two  Houses  then  assumed  a 
very  threatening  aspect,  but  an  amendment  of  Lord 
Cadogan's  was  eventually  adopted  that  it  would  be  de- 
sirable that  Parliament  should  assemble  in  the  autumn 
to  consider  the  Representation  of  the  People  Bill  already 
presented  to  Parliament,  in  conjunction  with  the  Redis- 
tribution Bill  which  her  Majesty's  Ministers  had  under- 
taken to  present  to  Parliament. 

363 


IIECOL  LECTIONS  1884- 

With  this  the  question  of  the  franchise  virtnally  closed 
for  the  session,  which  was  prorogued  on  August  14th. 

In  the  winter  session  a  Franchise  Bill  (precisely  identi- 
cal with  the  previous  Bill)  was  introduced  and  carried 
through  various  stages  in  the  House  of  Commons,  and 
introduced  in  the  House  of  Lords  on  November  13th. 

The  Lords  wished  the  Franchise  and  Kedistribution 
Bills  to  be  considered  together. 

One  evening  I  called  on  Mr.  Gladstone,  who  thought 
that  a  creation  of  peers  would  be  the  necessary  solution 
of  the  crisis.  I  still  believed  in  compromise.  He  had 
just  come  from  a  visit  to  Lord  Sherbrooke,  who  had  lost 
his  wife  and  was  complaining  of  his  bitter  solitude. 
Poor  man,  after  having  filled  so  large  a  space  in  society 
and  politics,  he  felt  his  isolation  all  the  more  keenly. 

On  November  Gth  Fawcett  died.  When  his  eyes  were 
shot  out  he  said  :  *'I  have  such  faith  in  the  recupera- 
tive power  of  Nature  that  I  will  abate  no  Jot  of  my  am- 
bitions and  endeavors";  and  no  man  ever  kept  his  reso- 
lution more  gallantly  or  determinedly. 

On  the  8th  we  went  to  Wanborough,  and  heard  two 
stories  of  the  laborers'  views  of  the  franchise.  Some  one 
said  to  a  working-man :  "  I  suppose  you  do  not  care  for 
the  vote?"  "Yes,  I  do,"  said  he;  "I  may  sometimes 
get  a  hare  now,"  which  was  pathetic. 

Another  said:  "They  say  I  sha'n't  know  what  to  do 
with  a  vote  now  I've  got  it ;  sha'n't  I  ?  I  never  saw  a 
glass  of  sherry  wine,  but  if  I  got  it  I  should  know  what 
to  do  with  it,"  suiting  the  action  to  the  word. 

On  November  11th  the  Franchise  Bill  was  read  a  third 
time  in  the  House  of  Commons,  and  Brooks's  was  crowd- 
ed, all  prospects  of  compromise  appearing  to  be  over. 
Lord  John  Manners  having  made  a  strong  speech. 

The  next  day  I  said  "good-bye"  to  Lord  Dufferin,  who 
was   starting  for  India;  he  begged  me  to  continue  my 


1885  A    SECRET    MEETING 

weekly  letters,  such  as  I  had  written  to  Lord  Northbrook 
and  Lady  Eipon,  to  Lady  Dufferin  when  in  India,  and 
thns  I  gained  for  myself  many  interesting  letters  from 
her  during  Lord  Dufferin's  viceroyalty. 

On  November  13th  I  talked  at  Somerset  House  to  Wal- 
ter Northcote  about  a  compromise.  His  idea  was  that 
after  the  second  reading  of  the  Franchise  Bill  in  the 
House  of  Lords  the  government  should  lay  their  Eedis- 
tribution  Bill  on  the  table,  and  that  the  Franchise  Bill 
should  then  be  allowed  to  pass. 

I  said  I  believed,  as  far  as  I  could  guess,  that  the  gov- 
ernment would  close  with  such  an  ofEer,  and  that  if  I 
had  his  father's  authority  I  would  propose  it.  He  ac- 
cordingly, after  seeing  him,  gave  me  this  authority : 

"  Sir  Stafford  Northcote  believes  if  the  government  introduced 
a  Redistribution  Bill  things  would  go  right.  This  is  only  his 
personal  opinion,  "  W.  S.  N." 

I  went  to  see  Lord  Granville,  who,  immediately  on 
hearing  Sir  Stafford  Northcote's  opinion,  went  across 
with  me  and  consulted  Mr.  Gladstone. 

A  Cabinet  was  hastily  summoned,  and  Lord  Granville 
desired  me  to  acquaint  Sir  Stafford  that  Mr.  Gladstone 
would  like  an  hour  or  so  to  consider  so  important  a  com- 
munication, and  that  in  the  mean  time  both  he  and  Mr. 
Gladstone  thought  it  would  conduce  to  a  settlement  if, 
on  the  grounds  of  old  private  friendship.  Sir  Stafford 
would  meet  Mr.  Gladstone  for  a  short  conversation,  either 
at  our  house  or  Lord  Granville's,  or  elsewhere. 

At  five  o'clock  I  went  with  Walter  Northcote  to  the 
House  of  Commons,  and  after  a  consultation  with  Sir 
Stafford  Northcote  in  his  private  room,  Lord  Granville 
and  Mr.  Gladstone  arranged  for  a  secret  meeting  at  our 
house  at  St,  James's.  In  the  mean  time  Walter  North- 
cote put  his  ideas  thus  : 

365 


RP:C0LLECTI0NS  1884- 

''The  Bill  will  be  read  a  second  time  ou  Monday,  No- 
vember 17th.  If  when  the  second  reading  is  over  on  that 
same  evening  Lord  Granville  says  he  will  ask  the  House 
to  go  into  Committee  on  that  day  week — i.e.,  Monday, 
the  24:th — and  if  in  the  other  House  Mr.  Gladstone  gives 
notice  either  on  that  same  Monday  or  else  on  the  next 
day  (Tuesday,  the  18th)  that  he  will  on  Thursday,  the 
20th,  or  Friday,  the  21st,  introduce  the  lledistribution 
Bill,  would  not  everything  be  settled  ? 

"If  this  proposal  were  made  by  the  government,  could 
the  other  side  by  any  possibility  be  anything  but  satis- 
fied, and  also  committed  to  the  passing  of  the  Franchise 
Bill?  They  would  have  the  Government  lledistribution 
Bill  in  its  formal  shape  before  them,  and  could  no  longer 
oppose  the  passing  the  Franchise  Bill,  at  any  rate  on 
the  grounds  they  have  hitherto  taken  up." 

On  November  13th  the  Gladstones,  Mr.  Goschen^,  the 
Trevelyans,  Frank  Baring,  and  Mrs.  Beerbohm  Tree 
were  dining  with  us,  and  the  anxiety  was  whether  they 
would  have  departed  in  time  ;  but  at  10.45  all  but  Mrs. 
Beerbohm  Tree  had  gone ;  I  left  her  with  my  wife,  and 
sent  word  to  Sir  Stafford  Northcote  that  the  coast  was 
clear,  and  tlien  myself  let  him  in.  The  interview  lasted 
till  nearly  ten  minutes  to  twelve.  Sir  Stafford  North- 
cote, on  leaving,  was  not  very  hopeful;  but  was  glad  ne- 
gotiations had  begun. 

All  this  is  described  fully  in  Lord  Iddesleigh's  Life: 

"  On  November  13th  my  eldest  son  came  to  see  me, 
and  gave  me  to  understand  that  Algernon  West  and  he 
had  been  speculating  about  my  views  of  the  position.  I 
said  to  him  what  I  had  been  saying  all  along  to  Lord 
Tollemache,  to  Mr.  Peel,  and  others,  by  some  of  whom  it 
must  have  been  communicated  to  the  Ministers,  that  if 
the  government  would  introduce  the  Redistribution  Bill 
all  would  go  right.     He  asked  me  whether  this  might  be 

366 


1885  A    REDISTRIBUTION    BILL 

commnnicated  to  Mr.  Gladstone  as  my  personal  opinion. 
I  said  ''Yes."  He  then  went  away;  but  in  the  after- 
noon he  came  down  to  the  Honse  of  Commons  and  told 
me  that,  as  soon  as  West  had  mentioned  this  to  Lord 
Granville,  he  had  gone  over  to  see  Mr.  Gladstone,  and 
then  desired  West  to  acquaint  me  that  Mr.  Gladstone 
would  like  an  hour  or  two  to  consider  so  important  a 
communication,  and  in  the  mean  time  Lord  Granville  and 
Mr.  Gladstone  would  think  it  most  desirable  if,  on  the 
grounds  of  old  private  friendship,  I  would  meet  Mr. 
Gladstone  for  a  short  conversation,  either  at  West's 
house  or  Lord  Granville's,  or  elsewhere.  I  said  I  must 
take  a  little  time  to  consider  this  request,  and  I  went 
into  the  House  of  Lords  and  consulted  Salisbury.  We 
agreed  that  I  had  better  hear  what  Mr.  Gladstone  had 
to  say.  I  told  Walter  this,  who  went  away,  and  came 
back  with  a  message  that  Mr.  Gladstone  is  nervous 
about  meeting  in  the  daytime,  as  so  many  people  watch 
him. 

"  He  dines  to-night  with  West  in  St.  James's  Palace  ; 
could  I  meet  him  there  about  eleven  o'clock,  when  the 
guests  will  have  gone?  I  went  accordingly  at  eleven 
o'clock,  and  was  let  in  by  West.  I  found  Gladstone 
alone,  and  remained  with  him  about  half  an  hour. 

"  The  result  of  this  and  other  negotiations  was  the 
announcement  of  the  government's  willingness  to  com- 
municate with  the  leaders  of  the  Opposition  on  the  de- 
tails of  the  Redistribution  Bill. 

"  The  proposed  conference  was  accepted,  and  com- 
parative peace  was  restored."' 

On  the  14th  I  saw  Mr.  Gladstone,  who  was  fairly  hope- 
ful ;  but  on  Sunday,  the  16th,  he  had  given  up  all  hope 
that  the  negotiations  would  be  successful. 

1  Life  of  Lord  Iddesleigh,  ii.  207. 
367 


KECOLLECTlUxNS  1884- 

On  the  ITtli  "Walter  Northcote  (who  was  also  disheart- 
ened), wrote  to  mc  the  following  letter: 

"  WoiiLiNGiiAM  Hall,  Beccles,  Monday,  November  IT,  1884. 

"My  dear  West, — I  am  awfully  sorry,  but  in  truth  more  sorry 
than  surprised.  I  feel  matters  have  gone  beyond  us,  and  that  our 
efforts  have  been  in  vain  in  the  past,  and  must  be  so  in  tlie  future. 
I  have  heard  nothing  from  my  side,  so  can  only  conclude  that  they 
don't  want  me,  even  as  they  said  they  should  not  want  me.  I,  there- 
fore, saw  no  use  in  coming  up. 

"  The  only  possible  suggestion  that  occurs  to  me  is  that  you 
should  once  more  speak  to  Lord  G.  and  ask  him  if  you  can  convey 
any  messages.  I  suppose  what  has  happened  is  that  we  have  an- 
swered you  unsatisfactorily.  But  you  have  answered  us  again.  I 
suppose  we  should  have  expected  you  to  do  so,  and  not  wanted  to 
slop  all  negotiations. 

"  You  know  my  side  is  prepared  to  receive  you,  but  I  fear  it  is 

very  hopeless — at  any  rate,  at  the  present  moment.     The  general 

meeting  to  -  morrow  might  prove  beneficial,  but  it  is  a  very  poor 

chance. 

"Yours  ever, 

"  Walter  Northcote." 

On  the  day  he  wrote  I  went  to  the  Honse  of  Commons 
and  heard  Mr.  Gladstone  say  "  that  on  receiving  ade- 
quate assurance  that  the  Franchise  Bill  would  be  passed 
in  the  course  of  that  session,  the  government  would  be 
willing  to  make  the  main  provisions  of  their  Eedistri- 
bution  Bill  the  subject  of  friendly  communication,  and 
would  undertake  to  move  its  second  reading  simultane- 
ously with  the  committee  or  some  subsequent  stage  of 
the  Franchise  Bill  in  the  Lords." 

Our  plot  to  bring  about  the  negotiations  had  met  with 
complete  success.  The  Redistribution  Bill  duly  reached 
the  House  of  Lords,  and  was  read  a  third  time,  and 
eventually  became  law,  but  not  until  the  government 
which  had  introduced  it  had  ceased  to  exist. 

Early  in  December  Mr.  Courtney,  I  regretted  to  hear, 

368 


1885     MR.   COURTNEY'S    RESIGNATION 

was  about  to  send  in  his  resignation  as  Secretary  to  the 
Treasury,  because  his  plan  of  minority  representation 
Avas  not  adopted.  I  urged  him  to  remain,  but,  as  the  fol- 
lowing letter  shows,  in  vain : 

"  15  Cheyne  Walk,  Chelsea,  S.  W.  ,  December  8,  1884. 
"  My  dear  West, — I  would  have  ackuowledged  your  kiud  letter 
before,  but  I  liave  been,  as  you  may  suppose,  extremely  busy,  and 
indeed  I  remain  so. 

"  I  am  very  sorry  to  sever  my  official  connection  with  the  Trea- 
sury; yet  I  think  I  may  pledge  myself  to  continue  faithful  to  my 
interest  in  it.  If  a  voice  is  wanted  in  the  House  I  will  not  be 
silent. 

"  Assuredly  my  work  was  made  lighter  and  easier  by  your  co- 
operation. 

"  Very  faithfully  yours, 

"  Leonard  Courtney." 

On  December  10th  old  Mr.  Henley  died,  almost  un- 
noticed; he  had  been  in  Lord  Derby's  government,  when 
he  resigned  with  Lord  Salisbury. 

Talking  of  asylums  for  the  insane,  Mr.  Henley  once 
said  he  thought  a  good  many  people  ought  to  be  locked 
up  who  were  walking  about  loose — drinkers  and  gamblers, 
for  instance — indeed,  he  thought  everybody  almost  onght 
to  be ;  the  only  difficulty  that  presented  itself  to  his  mind 
was  who  was  to  keep  the  key. 

On  January  3,  1885,  I  came  up  from  Wauborough, 
after  a  very  happy  Christmas,  and  dined  at  Brooks's, 
where  I  met  in  the  smoking-room  Charles  Villiers,  quite 
ready  to  talk  on  all  subjects  with  extraordinary  vivacity. 
He  discoursed  on  the  social  morality  of  the  day,  as  com- 
pared with  that  which  existed  in  the  days  of  his  youth. 
One  thing,  he  said,  had  certainly  changed,  which  was 
that  in  his  time  it  was  the  ambition  of  youths  to  be 
considered  roiies  and  mauvais  sujefs,  and  to  conceal  the 
work  they  were  engaged  in ;  whereas  now  those  who  were 
2a  ^  369 


RECOLLECTIONS  1884- 

at  work  were  prond  of  it,  and  those  who  were  not  pre- 
tended to  be  busy;  and  tliis  kept  them  out  of  mischief, 
to  some  extent,  with  idle  women.  But  wliat  had  been 
gained  in  one  direction  was  lost  in  another,  inasmuch 
as  speculation  and  love  of  money-making  had  grown. 
The  masterpiece  of  the  Queen's  reign  was  her  message 
to  Mrs.  Garfield'  when  her  husband  was  shot,  for  the 
Americans  are  truly  enamoured  of  equality.  Thus 
Blaine,  the  defeated  candidate  for  the  Presidency,  said 
they  would  prefer  a  mediocrity  to  a  distinguished  man, 
and  any  mark  of  superiority  to  others  would  be  preju- 
dicial to  his  election. 

Villiers  regretted  in  every  way  Lowell's  departure  as 
American  Minister.  I  asked  him  if  he  thought  there 
would  ever  be  any  attempt  to  return  to  protection  in 
England.  lie  thought  not,  and  referred  me  to  a  letter 
from  Mr.  Pell,  a  Tory  member,  who  had  publicly  stated 
that  any  such  hope  would  be  foolishness.  He  thought 
nothing  could  be  made  of  a  cry  for  protection  till  its 
advocates  could  point  to  a  protectionist  country  more 
prosperous  than  England  under  free-trade. 

He  disbelieved  the  extent  to  which  the  depression  in 
trade  was  alleged  to  have  gone.  A  manufacturing  con- 
stituent of  his  said  that  business  Avas  not  slack,  but  that 
profits  were  small. 

I  told  him  that  next  year's  income-tax  assessments  for 
Liverpool  showed  an  increase,  and  that  Peel's  income  tax 
in  1841  brought  in  for  each  penny  £700,000,  while  it  was 
now  estimated  to  bring  in  over  £2,000,000. 

He  told  me  that  in  1828  he  was  present  at  a  meeting 
when  Huskisson  said  that  Peel  was  sound  on  free-trade, 


'  "Words  cannot  express  tlic  deep  sj'mpatliy  I  feel  with  you  at 
this  terrible  moiueut.  May  God  support  and  comfort  you  as  He 
alone  can !" 

370 


1885  GUIZOT    ON    CROKER 

bnt  he  did  not  know  which  way  he  would  go  on  Catholic 
Emancipation. 

I  wrote  this  down  at  the  time,  and  thought  it  so 
strange  that  I  repeated  it  to  Mr.  Gladstone,  Lord  Gran- 
ville, Lord  Hampden,  and  George  Peel,  his  grandson, 
who  told  me  that  he  was  not  surprised,  for  he  knew  from 
papers  he  had  seen  that  Sir  Robert  had  said  about  that 
time  that  from  no  one  had  he  received  such  cordial  sup- 
port in  the  matter  of  free-trade  as  from  Huskisson. 

Mr.  Villiers  then  began  to  discuss  Croker's  3femoirs. 
He  could  only  account  for  his  great  influence  by  the  fact 
that  he  was  a  clever  writer,  lived  with  clever  writers,  and 
pushed  himself  into  the  society  of  clever  men.  My  wife 
sent  me  a  day  or  two  afterwards  Guizot's  view  of  him, 
saying : 

''You  have  read  Croker's  view  of  Guizot;  here  is 
Guizot's  view  of  Croker  : 

"  'Among  all  the  champions  of  the  old  English  Tory- 
ism with  whom  I  came  in  contact,  it  was  from  an  in- 
dividual entirely  disconnected  with  the  high  old  aris- 
tocracy and  the  Court — a  literary  man  in  the  third  rank 
of  political  importance — Mr.  John  Wilson  Croker,  that  I 
derived  the  most  complete  and  comprehensive  knowledge 
of  this  party.  He  had  been  for  many  years  a  member  of 
the  House  of  Commons,  and  Secretary  to  the  Admiralty, 
but  after  the  passing  of  the  Reform  Bill,  which  he  had 
energetically  opposed,  he  left  Parliament  and  office,  and 
entirely  devoted  himself  to  political  and  literary  criticism. 
Into  this  avocation  he  carried  all  the  maxims,  traditions, 
and  passions  of  a  servant  of  the  Cabinet  of  Lord  Liver- 
pool and  Lord  Castlereagh.  Ever  an  ardent  adversary 
...  of  the  Whigs,  even  while  admitting  the  necessity  of 
certain  reforms,  he  was  a  man  of  unusual  information, 
of  a  sagacious,  inquiring,  vigorous,  and  judicious  mind ; 
but  an  incarnation  of  party  spirit,  intractable,  and  re- 

371 


RECOLLECTIONS  1884- 

solved  to  defend  everything  rather  than  suffer  the  slight- 
est encroachment  on  the  general  system  to  which  he 
belonged.' " 

The  Duke  of  "Wellington's  policy  was  embodied,  Charles 
Villiers  went  on  to  say,  in  the  one  phrase,  "IIow  is  the 
Queen's  government  to  be  carried  on  ?" 

Our  colonial  policy  would  get  us  into  a  mess  unless 
Mr.  Gladstone  himself  tackled  it;  it  should  now  be 
laissez  /aire,  since  we  had  got  free-trade.  Before  that 
our  policy  was  intelligible,  but  not  so  now  when  we 
gained  no  special  privileges  from  the  colonies — within 
the  bounds  of  a  great  and  large  generosity  we  should 
leave  them  free. 

At  half -past  one  o'clock  this  man  of  another  age 
thought  it  time  to  go  home  ! 

After  a  day  or  two  at  Wanborough  we  dined  at  Fred- 
erick Leveson-Gower's,  and  met  Lord  and  Lady  Gran- 
ville. 

Lord  Granville  said,  on  the  whole,  he  considered  the 
most  agreeable  man  he  had  ever  met  was  Lord  Alvanley. 

After  dinner  we  all  went  to  the  Cosmopolitan  Club, 
which  I  had  persuaded  Lord  Granville  to  join,  and  heard 
Lord  Wolseley  say  that  General  Gordon  had  written,  say- 
ing it  Avould  not  do  to  leave  Berber  in  our  rear,  which 
was  alarming. 

The  next  day  I  met  Lord  Hampden  at  breakfast  at 
Brooks's,  where  we  discussed  Croker's  Memoirs  and  Mr. 
Gladstone's  probable  retirement,  and  hopes  that  he  would 
remain.  Dilke  or  Chamberlain,  said  Lord  Hampden, 
would  either  do  later  for  leaders. 

In  the  evening  I  went  with  Mrs.  Beerbohm  Tree  to  see 
Jane  Hading  in  "  Le  Maitre  dc  Forges."  I  liked  and 
admired  her  much,  but  for  me,  at  least,  she  was  rather  in- 
distinct in  her  moments  of  passion.  A  day  or  two  later 
we  saw  her  act  "  Frou  Frou,"  Avhen  everybody  was  in 

373 


1885  CHARLES    MATHEWS 

tears,  and  "  you  conld  have  borrowed  a  fiver  from  any 
one  of  them,"  as  Artemus  Ward  said. 

Apropos  of  actors,  let  me  relate  the  confession  of 
Charles  Mathews  that  he  was  only  once  bested  in  a 
repartee.  Some  young  bloods  had  by  loud  conversa- 
tion, remarks,  and  laughter  been  disturbing  the  theatre 
where  he  was  acting ;  they  were  in  the  stage-box,  and, 
noisily  rising,  began  to  make  preparations  for  their  de- 
parture. Charles  Mathews  said  :  "  The  play  is  not  over, 
gentlemen  ;  there  is  another  act."  "  That  is  why  we  are 
going,"  said  one  of  them. 

The  next  day  I  had  a  nice  letter  from  Lord  Aberdare 
on  his  getting  a  G.C.B.,  in  which  he  quoted  Cicero  as 
telling  us  that  consideration  is  the  veteran's  compensa- 
tion for  the  loss  of  the  pleasures  of  youth  and  vigorous 
manhood,  and  a  very  poor  compensation  it  is. 

I  suggested  about  this  time  to  Walter  Northcote,  who 
was  the  Deputy-Chairman  of  the  Board  of  Inland  Rev- 
enue, that  he  shonld  undertake  the  preparation  and 
editing  of  the  annual  report  of  the  department  and  its 
work,  both  for  the  use  it  wonld  be  to  the  public  as  well 
as  himself,  for  though  very  able  he  was  constitutionally 
indolent. 

He  adopted  the  suggestion,  and  worked  at  it  con  amore, 
making  the  report  one  altogether  of  a  special  nature,  giv- 
ing general  information  as  to  the  taxes  under  the  man- 
agement of  the  Board. 

On  January  21st  I  was  sitting  with  Mrs.  Stanley  Clarke, 
when  Sir  Charles  Brownlow  and  Colonel  Harman  came 
in  with  the  news  of  General  Stewart's  victory  in  the  Sou- 
dan over  10,000  of  the  Mahdi's  troops,  but  with  heavy 
loss  on  our  part ;  I  ascertained  that  my  nephew,  Colin 
Keppel,  was  safe,  and  telegraphed  to  Harry  Keppel,  who 
wrote  to  me  his  thanks  and  joy. 

On  Saturday,  January  24th,  I  was  coming  out  of  the 

373 


RECOLLECTIONS  1884-1885 

Treasury  when  I  met  Count  Miiustcr,  the  German  Am- 
bassador, who  told  me  of  the  explosion  in  the  House  of 
Commons,  which  I  had,  oddly  enough,  not  heard  in  the 
Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer's  room,  where  I  had  been 
at  the  time.  I  went  at  once  with  him  to  the  Houses  of 
Parliament,  meeting  the  First  and  Second  Commission- 
ers of  Police  at  the  gate.  We  found  all  the  windows  of 
Westminster  Hall  blown  out,  and  a  hole  at  the  top  of 
the  crypt  at  the  bottom  of  the  steps  of  the  great  hall, 
and  on  going  through  the  main  lobby  into  the  House, 
we  found  the  gallery,  under  which  I  had  so  often  sat  on 
the  government  side  of  the  House,  blown  to  pieces  and 
the  beams  and  glass  scattered  in  every  direction.  "  The 
dust  of  ages,"  as  Sir  William  Harcourt  said,  filled  the 
atmosphere. 

Excellent  news  of  General  Stewart  having  reached  the 
Nile  came  the  following  day,  and  eclipsed  in  interest  for 
the  time  being  the  explosion  in  the  House  of  Commons. 

Colin  Keppel  had  gone  on  with  Sir  Charles  Wilson  in 
Gordon's  steamers  to  Khartoum. 


CHAPTER  XX 

1885 

Sir  Charles  Brownlow  on  the  Afghan  Business  and  Lord  Lytton— 
Lord  Granville  on  the  Situation — News  of  the  Fall  of  Khartoum 
—Colin  Keppel's  Hereditary  Pluck— Lord  Rosebery  and  Mr. 
Shaw-Lefevre  Join  the  Cabinet— Death  of  General  Earle— 
Mr.  Gladstone's  Depression— Small  Government  Majority- 
Mr.  Gladstone  on  Old  Testament  Characters— On  Cromwell  and 
Bonaparte  — Mr.  Gladstone's  Bet  about  Lord  Overstone's  Pro- 
bate—Mr. Childers's  Budget— General  Gordon's  Estimate  of  Lord 
Granville,  Lord  Hartington,  and  Sir  Charles  Dilke— Budget 
Difficulties— Negotiations  with  the  Great  Brewers— Marriage  of 
Miss  Laura  Tennant — Defeat  of  the  Government  on  the  Second 
Reading  of  the  Budget  Bill— Letter  from  Sir  Stafford  Northcote 
on  the  Inland  Revenue  Report— Interview  with  Sir  Michael 
Hicks-Beach— Sir  Peter  Lumsden— Letter  from  Mr.  Gladstone 
on  the  Inland  Revenue  Report— His  Tribute  to  the  Board- 
Mr.  Gladstone's  Versatility— His  Knowledge  of  Music— Remi- 
niscences of  Jenny  Liud — Cardinal  Manning  on  Mr.  Gladstone's 
Retirement— Commission  on  Trade  Depression— Letters  from 
Lord  Iddesleigh  and  Lord  St.  Cyres— Visit  to  Copt  Hall— Elec- 
tion Talk  at  the  Cosmopolitan— Dinner  at  Mr.  Armitstead's— 
Election  Returns- Dinner  at  Brooks's— Henry  James's  Stories 
of  Lord  Randolph  Churchill— Conversation  with  Charles  Villiers 
— His  Recollections  of  By-gone  Celebrities. 

On  February  1st  I  dined  with  Sir  John  Eose,  meeting 
Lord  Cathcart  and  Sir  Charles  Brownlow,  a  very  distin- 
guished Indian  officer,  who  told  us  much  to  prove  that 
the  Afghan  business,  which  ended  so  disastrously,  was 
wholly  Lord  Lytton's  doing,  and  was  perfectly  unjustifia- 
ble. 

375 


RECOLLECTIONS  1886 

On  tlie  3d  Lord  Granville  dined  with  ns ;  but  he  was 
low  and  tired.  lie  doubted  the  possibility  of  Mr.  Glad- 
stone's retirement  at  the  end  of  the  Parliament.  He 
would  not  be  surprised  if  the  country  insisted  on  his 
forming  a  new  government  after  the  next  election  ;  in 
that  case,  he  hoped  he  would  take  a  peerage,  and  so  les- 
sen his  labors. 

In  the  middle  of  the  next  night  my  son  Horace  Avoke 
ns  up  with  the  sad  news  he  had  heard  from  Reggie  Brett, 
that  Khartoum  had  fallen. 

On  February  lltli  I  heard  from  Edward  Ponsonby, 
saying  my  son  Horace  was  chosen  to  act  as  assistant  sec- 
retary to  the  Speaker,  and  he  got  a  nice  letter  from  Sir 
Erskine  May  on  his  appointment. 

Every  day  the  Egyptian  news  seemed  getting  worse 
and  worse.  Three  battalions  of  Guards  were  ordered 
out  under  Sir  Reginald  Gipps,  whom  I  well  recollect 
going  out  as  a  subaltern  to  the  Crimea. 

AVe  saw  in  the  papers  that  Colin  Keppel,  who  had 
evidently  inherited  his  fatlier's  dash,  was  mentioned  in 
despatches  as  pluckily  cutting  out  a  boat  from  under 
an  Arab  battery,  in  the  rescue  of  Sir  Charles  Wilson. 

There  was  a  rumor  of  Gordon's  death,  but  I  met  Mr. 
Gladstone  looking  ill  and  worn,  who  told  me  that  no  of- 
ficial news  had  been  received  of  it. 

Lord  Rosebery  was  appointed  to  the  Cabinet,  holding 
the  offices  of  Lord  Privy  Seal  and  Chief  Commissioner 
of  Works,  and  George  Shaw-Lefevre,  who  had  succeed- 
ed Mr.  Fawcettas  Postmaster-General,  was  admitted  into 
the  Cabinet  at  the  same  time. 

It  was  impossible  not  to  admire  Lord  Rosebery  for 
joining  a  ship  so  deep  in  the  trough  of  the  sea. 

AVe  heard  of  General  Earle's  victory  and  deatli  on 
the  Nile,  AVliat  a  wretched,  miserable,  unnecessary 
business  all  this  is  ! 

376 


1885  MR.    GLADSTONE'S    BET 

On  the  21st  Mr.  Gladstone  proposed  himself  for  din- 
ner, but  was  dejected  and  low,  and  we  carefully  avoided 
the  subjects  that  were  depressing  him  ;  so  to  cheer  him 
I  talked  of  nothing  but  finance,  and  the  probate  duty 
on  Lord  Ashburnham's  library,  for  which  we  had  to 
fight,  and  the  question  of  taxes  on  American  securities. 

On  the  27th  the  government  had  a  majority  of  only 
14,  Mr.  Goschen  and  Mr.  Forster  voting  with  the  Con- 
servatives ;  the  latter  indulging  in  a  very  bitter  attack  on 
his  old  colleagues. 

It  was  in  this  month  that  my  wife  and  I  heard  a  beau- 
tiful sermon  at  the  Chapel  Koyal  from  the  Bishop  of 
Derry  (Alexander).  The  subject  was  the  question,  *'Is 
life  worth  living  ?"  and  he  placed  it  in  the  loftiest  lights. 
It  was  full  of  pathos  and  poetry,  and  we  appreciated  it 
very  much.  But,  after  all,  there  is  something  in  what 
the  witty  Frenchman  said :  "  C'est  nne  question  de 
foi(e)."  ' 

On  April  23d  my  wife  and  daughter  were  having  lun- 
cheon with  Lord  Northbrook  and  Lady  Emma  Baring  at 
the  Admiralty,  when  there  was  an  explosion  in  the  room 
of  a  clerk  named  Swainson,  who  had  been  a  colleague  of 
mine  there  in  old  days.  We  dined  there  in  the  evening, 
and  heard  it  was  supposed  to  have  been  the  work  of  a 
messenger,  but  I  do  not  think  anything  was  ever  proved. 

I  met  Mr,  Gladstone  at  dinner  at  the  Eeform  Club, 
when  he  bet  Mr.  Knowles,  of  the  Nineteenth  Cen- 
tury, who  was  our  host,  a  pound  that  Lord  Overstone's 
probate  would  be  over  £4,000,000 ;  but  it  was  not,  and 
Knowles  won  his  bet.  Lord  Overstone  had  evidently 
given  a  great  deal  of  his  personalty  away  before  his 
death. 

Mr.  Gladstone,  who  was  in  one  of  his  classical  moods, 
compared  Lucretius  to  Virgil,  though  he  admitted  that 
Lucretius  could  not  have  written  the  Second  Eclogue. 


RECOLLECTIONS  1885 

I  asked  him  if  what  I  had  heard  from  Bobsy  Meade 
was  true,  that  he  had  said  there  was  no  really  first-class 
character  in  the  Old  Testament.  He  denied  it,  but  recol- 
lected his  conversation  with  Arthur  ]\[ills  on  the  subject. 
What  he  had  done  Avas  to  compare  the  Old  Testament 
with  the  Greek  heroes.  Moses  was,  undoubtedly,  a  very 
fine  character;  Joseph's  very  beautiful.  I  suggested 
Jeremiah,  but  he  said  the  Greeks  would  not  have  tol- 
erated the  horrors  and  cruelties  recorded  in  the  Old  Tes- 
tament. Solomon  was  very  great.  When  the  chapter 
dealing  with  the  number  of  his  wives  and  concubines  was 
being  read  at  a  mothers'  meeting  at  Hawarden,  an  old 
woman  exclaimed:  "Lor',  what  privileges  them  ancient 
Christians  enjoyed !" 

Mr.  Gladstone  compared  Ilallam,  in  his  copious  use  of 
notes,  with  Macaulay,  who  put  everything  into  beautiful 
language,  and  embodied  all  his  information  in  it. 

Dante,  said  he,  was  once  supposed  to  have  visited  Ox- 
ford. He  would  have  liked  to  see  Oliver  Cromwell  and 
Bonaparte  pitted  against  each  other.  He  evidently  did 
not  love  Oliver  Cromwell,  thinking  him  a  great  man  with 
no  distinct  love  of  religious  liberty  ;  but  then,  of  course, 
the  times  he  lived  in  must  not  be  forgotten.  Cromwell 
might  lie  with  a  purpose,  as  Elizabeth  did,  but  Charles 
I.  was  a  terrible  liar. 

On  April  30th  came  on  Mr.  Childers's  Budget.  It  was 
generally  well  received,  and  I  dined  at  a  banquet  which 
Welby  annually  gave  on  such  occasions  to  the  Governor 
of  the  Bank  of  England,  and  other  financial  authorities, 
at  the  Garrick  Club. 

On  May  6th  we  dined  at  the  Admiralty,  and  the  conver- 
sation turned  chiefly  on  Gordon. 

It  was  said  that  Gordon,  after  his  interview  with  the 
committee  of  the  Cabinet  who  sent  him  to  the  Soudan, 
said  he  liked  Granville  and  Hartingtou,  and  Avould  like 

378 


1885      GORDON    AND    LOUD    COWPER 

to  give  each  of  them  a  copy  of  the  Bible,  but  he  did  not 
like  Sir  Cbarles  Dilke,  who  talked  sotto  voce  all  the  time 
of  the  conference. 

One  day  Gordon  was  having  luncheon  with  Lady 
Ripon  in  Carlton  Gardens  ;  Lord  Cowper  was  there,  and 
on  Gordon's  departure  he  asked  who  that  little  man  was, 
and  was  much  disappointed  on  hearing  that  it  was  Gor- 
don, with  whom  he  had  not  had  any  conversation.  He 
told  his  brother  Henry  of  this,  who  determined  he  would 
not  lose  such  an  opportunity,  so  went  the  next  day  to 
luncheon  with  the  Ripous,  and  hung  on  the  lips  of  a  man 
who  was  there.  After  luncheon  he  said  how  glad  he  had 
been  to  have  met  Gordon :  "  Oh  no,"  said  Lady  Ripon, 
"  that  is  the  doctor  who  is  going  out  to  India  with  us." 

All  this  time  was  occupied  in  Budget  negotiations, 
mainly  with  the  great  brewers. 

On  the  18th  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gladstone  dined  with  us, 
and  after  a  talk  I  returned  to  the  House  of  Commons 
with  him.  The  opposition  to  the  Budget  was  now  daily 
increasing,  and  in  a  conversation  with  Mr.  Gladstone  I 
offered  to  open  negotiations  with  the  great  brewers. 
Mr.  Childers  was  ill,  and  so  Mr.  Gladstone  wrote  my 
proposals  to  him,  and  he  approved  of  them. 

Immediately  on  hearing  this  I  set  to  work  and  drew  up 
a  memorandum,  which  I  produced  to  Sir  Arthur  Bass, 
and  Messrs.  Whitbread,  Allsopp,  Grindling  and  Gretton, 
Watney  and  Bonsor  agreeing.  This  tided  over  the  diffi- 
culty of  the  increased  beer  duty. 

On  the  22d  we  attended  our  dear  friend  Sliss  Laura 
Tennant's  marriage  with  Alfred  Lyttelton  in  Westmin- 
ster Abbey. 

On  June  8th  began  the  second  reading  of  the  Bud- 
get Bill.  I  insisted  upon  Watney's  speaking,  as  he  had 
promised  to  do,  in  favor  of  the  increased  beer  duty,  but 
all  to  no  purpose,  Richard  Grosvenor  having   told  me 

379 


RECOLLECTIONS  1885 

he  had  no  majority.  Even  Mr.  Gladstone's  admirable 
speech  conld  not  redeem  it.  The  government  were 
beaten  by  12.' 

The  Cabinet  sat  the  next  day,  and  I  was  asked  to  con- 
sult Sir  Erskine  May  on  their  behalf,  as  to  the  effect  of 
a  Ilouse  of  Commons  resolution  bearing  upon  the  in- 
creased excise  duties  on  spirits.  He  said  a  resolution 
was  an  honorable  engagement  and  should  not  be  can- 
celled. I  told  this  to  Childers,  who  said  that  the  Cab- 
inet had  already  decided  to  act  in  a  contrary  direction, 
and  give  up  the  extra  2s.  on  spirits. 

We  were  asked  to  dine  once  more,  for  the  last  time, 
in  Downing  Street;  but  alas !  were  engaged  to  dine  else- 
where. 

On  June  11th  I  tried  hard  to  get  the  Chancellor  of  the 
Exchequer  to  announce  some  definite  arrangement  as 
to  the  duty  to  be  collected  on  spirits,  but,  finding  it  im- 
possible, I  got  my  colleague,  Walter  Northcote,  to  go  and 
see  his  father  and  settle  it  with  him — which  he  did. 

On  that  day  we  dined  at  George  Trevelyan's  and  I  had 
some  bets  with  him  and  Mr.  Mundella  as  to  the  composi- 
tion of  the  new  Cabinet,  which  I  won. 

Our  Inland  Eevenue  report  was  now  completed,  and 
I  sent  copies  of  it  to  Sir  S.  Northcote  and  Mr.  Gladstone, 
and  it  is  pleasant  to  think  that  the  report  which  I  made 
Walter  Northcote  undertake  was  wonderfully  well  done, 
and  has  served  as  the  standard  work  of  reference  on  all 
revenue  subjects  till  this  Jay.  This  note  accompanied 
the  copy  I  forwarded  Sir  Stafford  Northcote  : 

'  Extract  from  Lord  Iddcsleigb's  Journal,  June  8th:  "On  the  de- 
feat of  the  government,  Walter  left  the  House  with  Algernon  West, 
and  said  something  about  this  being  a  curious  end  of  Gladstone's 
career.  West  said  :  '  Ah,  this  can't  be  the  end  now — you  will  see 
him  come  out  more  energetic  than  ever.'  " 

380 


1885  LETTER    TO    NORTHCOTE 

"June  19,  1885. 

"My  dear  Sir  Stafford  Nortiicote, — I  have  for  some  time 
been  looking  forward  to  the  moment  when  I  might  send  you  a  copy 
of  the  report,  which  will  shortly  be  presented  to  Parliament,  of  the 
revenue  under  our  charge,  and  when  I  might  tell  you  that  it  is 
almost  entirely  the  work  of  your  son  ;  the  only  credit  I  wish  to  take 
to  myself  in  the  matter  is  the  suggestion  that  he  should  undertake 
it.  I  shall  be  much  disappointed  if  you  do  not  think  that  he  has 
given  effect  to  that  suggestion  in  a  manner  that  will  do  credit  to  us, 
to  him,  and,  if  I  may  say  so,  to  the  training  he  has  received  from 
you. 

"You  will  recollect  the  text-book  of  our  department  which  has 
always  been  referred  to  as  the  Thirteenth  Report.  The  new  re- 
port, which  I  now  send  you  in  proof,  will  contain  all  that  is  worth 
retaining  of  the  old  one,  and  will  bring  up  the  history  of  the  de- 
partment to  the  last  moment. 

"May  I  venture  to  take  this  opportunity  of  expressing  my  sin- 
cere and  deep  regret,  which  will  be  shared  b}^  the  whole  Civil  Ser- 
vice, at  your  departure  from  the  House  of  Commons,  which  will 
make  it  impossible  for  you  ever  again  personally  to  undertake  the 
direction  of  the  finances  of  the  country  ;  and  at  the  same  time  to 
say  on  public  as  well  as  private  grounds  how  I  rejoice  that,  as  First 
Lord  of  the  Treasury,  you  will  still  exercise  a  control  over  us,  and 
the  duties  which  it  will  be  our  pleasure  loyally  to  perform  under 
your  guidance. 

"  I  have  not  the  pleasure  of  knowing  Sir  M.  Hicks-Beach,  but  if 
you  think  I  might  with  propriety  send  him  a  proof  copy  of  the 
report  I  would  do  so. 

"Algernon  West." 

Sir  Stafford's  letter  of  acknowleclgment  ran  as  follows: 

"30  St.  James's  Place,  S.  W.,  June  20,  1885. 

"My  dear  Mr.  "West, — Let  me  thank  you  sincerely  for  your 
kind  letter,  and  for  what  you  are  good  enough  to  say  about  Walter, 
and  about  myself. 

"I  have  not  had  time  to  do  more  than  take  a  hasty  glance  at  the 
report,  but  I  am  very  much  pleased  to  hear  that  you  think  it  well 
done.  Your  steady  kindness  has  been  of  great  advantage  to  my 
son,  and  I  can  assure  you  that  he  repays  it  by  Avarm  attachment  to 
you. 

381 


RECOLLECTIONS  1885 

"As  for  myself,  I  am  in  danger  of  being  killed  by  kindness.  I 
hope  that,  whatever  happens,  I  may  retain  the  connection  with  the 
Treasury  whicli  I  value  so  much,  both  on  account  of  the  character 
of  the  work  and  of  the  association  with  such  men  as  those  who  work 
the  central  and  tlic  auxiliary  departments. 

"I  have  mentioned  the  report  to  Sir  Michael  Hicks-Beach,  who 
would  be  very  much  obliged  if  you  would  send  him  a  proof  at  the 
Carlton. 

"If  our  Ministry  comes  into  working  existence  I  hope  to  intro- 
duce you  to  him  without  delay. 

"  Yours  faithfully, 

' '  Stafford  Northcote. 

"Algernon  West,  Esq.,  C.B." 

On  June  24tli  we  went  for  the  last  time  to  the  Ad- 
miralty under  the  rule  of  Lord  Northbrook. 

Among  the  final  arrangements  of  the  dying  govern- 
ment, Sir  Ralph  Lingen,  the  Secretary  to  the  Treasury, 
became  a  peer,  and  of  course  Welby  succeeded  him,  at 
which  I  was  much  rejoiced. 

On  the  36th  I  had  my  first  interview  with  the  new 
Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer,  Sir  Michael  Hicks-Beach, 
and  discussed  the  financial  position. 

On  July  8th  I  dined  at  the  Goldsmiths'  Hall,  and  sat 
next  to  Sir  Peter  Lumsden,  who  had  just  returned  from 
India.  He  told  me  that  he  dreaded  the  advent  of  Sep- 
tember, as  that  was  the  month  for  Russian  movements. 
It  was  impossible  for  us  to  advance  beyond  Candahar, 
but  by  the  Black  Sea  and  Taganrog  we  might  sow  dis- 
sension among  the  Turcomans. 

He  appeared  to  me  a  real  Russophobist. 

On  the  10th  I  received  a  letter  from  Mr.  Gladstone 
most  flattering  to  my  board,  to  which  I  at  once  replied ; 
and  his  letter,  which  I  here  reproduce,  along  with 
my  own  reply,  now  stands  at  the  beginning  of  the 
Twenty-eighth  Report  of  the  Commissioners  of  Inland 

Revenue  : 

383 


1885       MR.    GLADSTONE'S    TRIBUTE 

"  1  Richmond  Terrace,  July  8,  1885. 

"My  dear  West, — Thia  is  the  first  day  on  which  I  have  been 
able  to  secure  a  quiet  hour  for  the  examination  of  the  Twenty- 
eighth  Report  of  your  Board,  from  which  I  learn,  without  sur- 
prise, how  much  we  are  indebted  to  your  colleague,  who  was  Mr. 
Northcote. 

"  It  appears  to  be  a  most  careful  and  most  valuable  work. 

"  The  only  point  of  mere  detail  which  raised  a  question  in  my 
mind  vras  the  reference  on  p.  74  to  the  Act  of  1853.  It  is  there 
said  that  the  rate  of  income  tax  was  fixed  at  M.  for  seven  years. 
I  rather  think  this  is  not  accurate. 

"It  was  hardly  worth  while  to  refer  to  this  small  point.  Speak- 
ing more  at  large,  this  document  reminds  me  that,  during  the 
whole  period  of  my  oflScial  connection  with  the  finance  of  this 
country,  I  have  had  no  greater  pleasure  than  in  my  communica- 
tions with  the  Department  of  Inland  Revenue.  I  have  always 
found  it  a  model,  in  its  heads  and  principal  officers,  of  enlight- 
ened ability  and  untiring  zeal.  So  it  was  when  I  began  to  know 
it  intimately  thirty-three  years  ago,  and  so  I  have  found  it  down 
to  the  time  when  I  resigned  the  charge  of  finance,  and  I  rejoice 
now  in  closing  the  door  of  office  behind  me  to  have  a  new  proof 
through  your  kindness  that  it  is  likely  to  be  in  the  future  what 
it  has  been  in  the  past. 

"  Believe  me,  always  sincerely  yours, 

"W.  E.  Gladstone. 
"Algeknon  E.  West,  Esq." 

'•  Board  of  Inland  Revenue,  July  10, 1885. 

"My  dear  Mr.  Gladstone,— I  cannot  find  words  to  thank 
you  on  this  board's  behalf  and  my  own  for  the  generous  words 
of  approval  and  encouragement  which  your  letter  of  the  8th  inst. 
conveyed  to  us. 

"  No  one  in  this  department  will  ever  forget  them,  and  they  will 
serve  as  a  noble  incentive  to  us  all  to  strive  vigorously  and  honestly 
to  keep  this  department  as  it  was  handed  over  to  us,  worthy  of  the 
high  commendation  that  you  have  given  it. 

"  We  are  grateful  to  you  for  not  objecting  to  the  publication  of 

your  letter,  and  we  trust  that  the  good  effect  it  will  have  in  the 

whole  of  our  Inland  Revenue  service  will  far  outweigh  any  idea 

that  we  publish  it  from  motives  of  personal  vanity. 

"  Algernon  West. 
"  Right  Hon.  W.  E.  Gladstone,  M.P." 

383 


RECOLLECTIONS  1885 

On  July  IGth  Avas  tlio  second  reading  of  Sir  Michael 
Hicks-Beach's  Budget  Bill — which  from  the  necessities 
of  the  case  was  very  simple  and  consequently  without 
much  interest. 

Arthur  Russell  and  Bingham  Mildmay  dined  with  us 
to  meet  Mr.  Gladstone,  who  was  in  great  force.  The  talk 
at  dinner  was  of  books  ;  he  praised  Jesse's  Life  of  Beau 
Brummell  as  a  moral  book  with  a  lesson.  He  had  read 
George  Eliot's  Life  and  saturated  himself  with  no  fewer 
than  five  reviews  of  it. 

Arthur  Russell  said  there  were  only  seventeen  Positiv- 
ists  in  England  ;  Mr,  Gladstone  said,  at  any  rate,  on  one 
point  he  agreed  with  them — that  marriage  was  absolute- 
ly indissoluble.  After  dinner  he  talked  much  on  his  fa- 
vorite subject,  the  triumph  of  my  department.  One 
man's  exemption,  he  said,  was  another  man's  taxation. 

Dining  another  night  at  our  house  he  met  Andrew 
Hichens,  no  mean  musician,  Avho  knew  thoroughly  all 
the  technical  expressions  connected  with  the  art.  Mr. 
Gladstone,  to  his  astonishment,  talked  of  fugues  and 
octaves,  crotchets  and  minims  with  entire  ease.  He  said 
that  he  had  heard  a  bass  voice  at  St.  Andrew's  which 
reminded  him  of  Lablache.  He  disapproved  of  the  new, 
or  rather  return  to  the  old  notation  of  the  Old  Hun- 
dredth Psalm,  in  which  crotchets  had  been  substituted 
for  minims. 

At  a  great  function  at  Edinburgh,  so  he  told  us,  where 
10,000  voices  were  singing  the  Hundredth  Psalm  with 
the  usual  rhythm,  the  band  adopted  the  modern  render- 
ing with  disastrous  results. 

He  told  Mrs.  Hichens  that  many  years  ago,  when 
Jenny  Lind  was  in  her  glory,  there  were  some  American 
singers  at  his  house.  To  amuse  them,  he  pointed  out  all 
the  celebrities  —  Emperor  of  Russia,  Princes,  and  Prin- 
cesses, and  they  were  very  indifferent,  but  when  he  showed 

384 


1885  THE    TRADE    COMMISSION 

them  Jenny  Lind  they  threw  np  their  hands  with  de- 
light. 

On  August  12th,  the  anniversary  of  our  happy  wed- 
ding-day, I  went  up  to  town  in  the  carriage  with  Car- 
dinal Manning,  who  regretted  that  his  old  friend  Glad- 
stone had  not  sooner  retired.  He  thought  the  Tories 
would  gain  some  seats  at  the  next  election,  but  lose 
more  at  the  succeeding  one,  but  either  party  must  pro- 
vide building  sites  for  the  working  men,  with  whom  the 
earth  hunger  was  as  keen  as  in  Ireland.  He  was  in  favor 
of  my  idea  of  taking  land  for  taxes,  and  reselling  it. 

On  September  1st  my  sailor  son,  Gilbert,  was  ap- 
pointed to  the  Polyplwnus,  the  great  ramming  ship, 
which  we  went  to  see  at  Portsmouth.  The  cabins  were  all 
below  the  water-line,  and  were  supplied  with  air  by  pumps. 

On  Saturday,  October  3d,  my  son  Reggie  came  with 
his  wife,  and  I  was  enjoying  our  holiday  when  I  heard 
from  Lord  Iddesleigh,  asking  me  to  appear  as  a  witness 
before  his  Commission  on  Trade  Depression,  which  I 
tried  to  prove  did  not  exist  if  you  took  England  as  a 
whole.  I  was  self-satisfied  with  my  evidence,  and  later 
found  that  the  Commission  was  satisfied  also,  as  appears 
from  the  second  of  the  two  letters  which  I  here  subjoin : 

"  10  Downing  Strbet,  Whitehall,  October  9,  1885. 

"My  dear  Mr.  West, — I  am  anxious  if  possible  to  have  the 
advautage  of  your  evidence  before  the  Trade  Commission  next 
week.  I  don't  like  disturbing  your  holiday  ;  but  we  mean  to  try  to 
get  through  our  official  witnesses  on  Thursday  and  Friday,  and 
shall  then  adjourn  for  a  fortnight  before  taking  up  the  trade  wit- 
nesses.   Would  Friday  suit  you  ? 

"I  remain,  yours  faithfully, 

"Iddesleigh. 
"Algernon  E.  West,  Esq.,  C.B." 

'•Board  Room,  In'land  Revenue,  Somerset  House,  October  19,  1885. 

"My  dear  West,— My  father  was  very  decidedly  pleased  with 
your  evidence,  which  he  thought  was  very  well  given,  as  well  as 
3  b  385 


U  ECO  L  LECTIONS  1885 

interesting  in  itself.  He  also  said  you  gave  it  cheerfully,  and  rather 
as  if  you  liked  doing  so,  which  of  course  made  it  much  more  agree- 
able all  round;  so  I  think  you  may  legitimately  congratulate  your- 
self.    Robinson  will  have  told  you  how  delighted  Elliott  was. 

' '  Yours  ever, 

"  St.  Cyres. 

"P.  S. — I  hear  we  are  to  win  40  seats  in  England  by  the  Parnel- 
llte  vote.  At  present  in  England  and  Wales  there  are  about  265 
Liberals  and  311  Conservatives.     Total,  476. 

"  The  total  will  be  raised  from  476  to  495.  If  you  get  65  out  of 
73  seats  in  Scotland,  and  3  out  of  103  in  Ireland,  which  is  all  we 
give  you  there,  I  understand,  you  will  want  368  English  seats  to 
give  a  majority  of  3,  as  thus: 

"England  and  Wales:  Liberals,  268;  Conservatives,  237  =  495. 
Scotland:  Liberals,  65  ;  Conservatives,  7  =  73.  Ireland:  Liberals, 
3  ;  Conservatives,  15 ;  Parnellites,  85.  Liberals,  336  ;  Conserva- 
tives, 334.     Total  Parliament,  670. 

"St.  C." 

On  the  6tli  of  October  my  wife  and  daughter  and  I 
paid  a  visit  to  Walter  Burns,  the  son-in-law  of  my  old 
friend,  Mr.  Julius  Morgan,  at  Copt  Hall,  a  curious  old 
place  in  Epping  Forest,  belonging  formerly  to  the  Con- 
yers.  Burns  was  most  agreeable  and  had  an  extraor- 
dinarily original  way  of  expressing  himself.  Having 
been  to  a  terribly  crowded  party,  he  told  us  that  if  St. 
Paul  had  been  there  he  would  have  been  obliged  to  hang 
up  his  halo  outside,  as  there  was  no  room  for  it  in- 
side. 

Mr.  Pennington  (an  artist),  Mr,  Poste  (a  musician), 
and  M.  Archdeacon  (a  Frenchman),  made  up  our  party. 

We  returned  on  the  10th,  and  on  the  11th  October  I 
went  to  the  Cosmopolitan,  where  I  had  a  long  election 
talk  with  Herschell,  who  thought  Edward  Grey  would 
beat  Lord  Percy,  and  that  Sir  M.  Ridley  and  William 
Lowther  would  be  beaten  in  Northumberland.  Hal. 
Howard  was  doubtful  but  hopeful.  Fair  Trade  and 
the  Church  were  doing  harm;  this  majority  would  be 

386 


1885  ELECTION    PROSPECTS 

smaller.     Harry  Stnrgis  would  beat  C.  Hambro  in  Dor- 
set, but  Wolverton  said  "'  No''  to  the  last. 

Sir  William  llarcourt  said  to  Horace  that  he  thought 
they  would  get  forty  majority  over  Tories  and  Irish  to- 
gether. St.  Cyres,  who  is  generally  very  accurate,  puts 
the  Liberal  majority  at  twenty-five.  Sir  Charles  Tennaut 
was  gloomy  about  seats  in  Glasgow,  but  behold,  we  know 
not  anything,  and  nobody  knows  anything  ! 

It  was  in  this  mouth  that  we  had  had  a  farewell  tea 
with  Mrs.  Alfred  Lyttelton,  to  say  "good-bye"  to  Lady 
Ribblesdale,  who  was  off  to  Gibraltar.  Spencer  Lyttelton 
came  in  fresh  from  Midlothian,describing  Mr.  Gladstone  as 
full  of  vigor  and  confidence,  and  sure  of  a  large  majority. 

I  spent  the  evening  at  Brooks's  with  Sandhurst,  Henry 
Calcraft,  and  others,  receiving  news  from  the  boroughs 
as  to  how  the  elections  were  going. 

Birmingham  had  returned  a  solid  seven. 

Arthur  Hayter  was  beaten,  which  I  regretted,  as  Par- 
liament was  the  air  he  breathed  to  him.  Dilke  got  in 
by  a  small  majority.  My  brother  Henry  in  at  the  head 
of  the  poll  for  Ipswich.  Childers  and  George  Lefevre 
were  both  beaten. 

Mr.  Gladstone  was  returned  by  4000  majority,  Edward 
Grey  beating  Lord  Percy  by  1200. 

On  the  29th  I  dined  with  Mr.  Armitstead,  Mr.  Glad- 
stone's lo)'al  follower  and  friend,  whose  devotion  was  only 
equalled  by  his  hospitality.  Herbert  Gladstone,  Mr. 
Cohen,  and  Frank  Hill,  of  the  DaiJu  News,  were  there, 
and  I  heard  some  election  stories,  probably  old : 

A  man  tried  to  sell  some  kittens  with  blue  Tory  rib- 
bons on,  and  failed  ;  the  next  day  he  tried  to  sell  them 
with  yellow  Liberal  ribbons  on.  *'Why,"  said  some  one, 
*^ they  were  Tories  yesterday!"  ''Yes,"  he  said,  '"but 
their  eyes  are  opened  since  then,  and  they  have  become 
Liberals." 

387 


RECOLLECTIONS  1885 

"  Will  you  vote  for  me  ?"  said  a  canvassing  candidate. 
*'No/'  said  the  voter,  ''I  would  sooner  vote  for  the 
devil."  "But  in  the  event  of  your  friend  not  going  to 
the  poll  I  hope  you  will  vote  for  me." 

The  returns  coming  in  show  a  Liberal  majority  of 
forty  -  eight — English,  Scotcli,  and  Welsh  votes.  Our 
cousins  triumphant  everywhere — Edward  Grey,  Harry 
Howard,  Frederick  Mildmay,  and  Stafford  Howard; 
though  my  poor  friend,  Charles  Hambro,  was  beaten. 

1  still  think  we  shall  see  Home  Rule  in  some  shape  or 
another  before  the  year  is  out,  as  Carnarvon  seems  to 
think. 

On  December  loth  I  dined  with  Lord  Wolverton  at 
Brooks's,  and  afterward  joined  Herbert  Gladstone,  Henry 
James,  and  E.  W.  Hamilton.  I  had  a  long  talk  with,  or 
rather  listened  to,  Henry  James,  who  was  great  on  the 
subject  of  Lord  Randolph  Churchill.  He  met  him  at  Mr. 
Oppenheim's  the  other  day,  and  asked  him  what  they 
were  going  to  do.  He  said  :  "  Everything  that  will  be 
most  disagreeable  to  you." 

When  he  was  crossing  the  Channel,  Henry  James  went 
over  with  him,  and  he  was  nearly  dead  from  sea-sickness, 
but  at  Amiens  he  recovered  a  little.  He  had  recently 
made  a  most  violent  attack  on  Lord  Granville,  and  while 
still  sea-green  from  the  effects  of  the  crossing  he  observed: 
''How  Granville  would  like  to  see  me  now!" 

Henry  James  gave  a  capital  account  of  Lord  Randolph 
Churchill's  waiting  at  the  Tory  Club  at  Birmingham  for 
the  result  of  the  poll,  and  as  each  Liberal  success  was  an- 
nounced he  was  silent,  till  his  own  failure  was  announced, 
and  then  he  sprang  up  and  gave  them  a  rattling  speech 
on  the  ''Advantages  of  Adversity." 

Matthews,  he  said,  was  a  good  speaker.  They  had 
been  associates  on  the  Oxford  Circuit.  At  one  of  his 
election   meetings   Matthews    touched   on   Bright   very 

388 


1885       VILLIERS'S    REMINISCENCES 

cleverly  :  *'  I  was  in  the  Town  Hall  the  other  night  to 
hear  Mr.  Bright,"  he  said.  "  I  Avas  reminded  of  the  old 
instrument  which  delighted  on r  grandfathers  and  grand- 
mothers, but  which  played  one  tune — the  hurdy-gurdy — 
and  on  listening  I  thought  of  it,  and — '  Oh  dear !  oh  dear! 
oh  dear !'  "  at  the  same  time  imitating  the  turning  of  the 
hurdy-gurdy. 

We  next  discussed  the  Irish  difficulty  and  how  im- 
possible it  was  to  find  anybody  in  Ireland  who  could  be 
responsible  for  life  and  property  there.  We  also  dealt 
with  woman  suffrage,  and  Henry  James  reminded  me  of 
our  first  meeting  at  Edward  Levy's  on  May  8,  1871. 

After,  in  the  smoking-room  for  an  hour  and  a  half's 
talk  with  Charles  Villiers,  who,  as  usual,  was  delightful 
with  his  recollections  of  the  past ;  said  George  Lewis 
and  Gladstone  had  differed  at  Eton,  at  Oxford,  and  in 
Parliament ;  and  in  the  Cabinet,  after  one  of  Gladstone's 
fine  speeches,  George  Lewis  used  only  to  say,  "I  disagree 
with  everything  that  Gladstone  has  said." 

O'Conuell  was  a  greater  man  than  Parnell.  In  dis- 
cussing the  question  of  the  national  debt,  he  said  he 
would  not  be  dragged  into  the  party  details  of  ''fiddling 
finance." 

Lord  Palmerston's  prophecies  of  the  effect  of  abolish- 
ing the  Irish  Church  had  come  true,  and  he  disbelieved 
in  the  Irish  ever  being  satisfied  with  anything.  Roe- 
buck had  said,  in  defending  the  Church  Establishment, 
that  "  the  people  loved  it  as  the  place  where  they  had 
been  christened,  been  married,  and  been  buried  I" 

Brougham  had  said  :  "  Don't  abolish  it ;  there  is  noth- 
ing but  the  Church  between  us  and  religion."  He  said 
the  feeling  against  concession  to  the  Irish  and  the  Irish 
themselves  was  growing  fast.     I  had  seen  no  proof  of  it. 

We  talked  of  Beau  Brummell,  Hayward,  Fleming,  and 
Charles  Greville,  who,  it  was  supposed,  got  money  from 

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RECOLLECTIONS  1885 

his  publisher  for  the  promise  of  his  Memoirs.  They 
traded  on  the  vulgarity  and  snobbishness  of  the  society 
they  lived  in.  Alvanley  and  Brummell  were  both  swind- 
lers, the  only  difference  being  that  the  first  kept  up  the 
premiums  of  policies  on  life  assurances  on  which  he 
had  raised  money;  the  other  did  not.  Hayward  was 
coarse,  and  Fleming  was  a  &oc,vd\  flaneur. 

St.  Gyres  told  me  next  day  that  his  father,  Lord  Id- 
desleigh,  did  not  think  it  possible  that  the  government 
could  continue. 


CHAPTER  XXI 
JANUARY-JUNE,  1886 

Mr.  Gladstone's  Mauvaise  Dizaine  de  Jours — Defeat  of  the  Gov- 
ernment—Mr. Gladstone's  Summons  to  Windsor  —  Miss  Mary- 
Gladstone's  Wedding — Sir  William  Harcourt  Chancellor  of  the 
Exchequer — Letter  from  Sir  Michael  Hicks-Beach — The  New 
Cabinet— Contretemps  about  Lord  Granville— Riots  of  the  Un- 
employed— Financial  Conversation  with  Mr.  Chamberlain — First 
Interview  with  Sir  William  Harcourt— Deaths  of  Lord  Card- 
well  and  Napier  Sturt— Lady  Georgiana  Grey — Tiie  "  Cottage 
Budget  "—Cabinet  Troubles— Mr.  Gladstone's  Home  Rule  Speech 
— Mr.  Bright  and  Mr.  Gladstone— Illness  and  Death  of  Mrs. 
Alfred  Lyttelton— Letter  from  Sir  Erskine  May— Conversation 
with  Sir  Henry  James  on  the  Irish  Question — Mr.  Gladstone's 
Indomitable  Spirit. 

After  a  charming  little  holiday  at  Wanborough  I  came 
up  alone,  as  there  were  still  workmen  in  St.  James's,  and 
found  a  letter  from  St.  Cyres,  saying  the  government 
was  not  likely  to  last. 

These  changes  are  naturally  very  distasteful  to  perma- 
nent officials ;  for  when  a  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer 
has  once  matured  his  plans,  it  is  very  annoying  to  have 
them  all  upset  and  everything  begun  de  novo ;  besides  that, 
all  the  old  suggestions  and  ideas  are  continually  being 
brought  up,  and  have  to  be  discussed  anew.  Further- 
more, I  had  hoped  that  the  Irish  question  might  have 
been  set  at  rest  by  Lord  Salisbury's  government,  for  Mr. 
Gladstone  had  offered  to  co-operate  with  him  in  any  at- 

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tempt  to  bring  it  to  a  settlement,  but  his  proposal  had 
not  been  accepted. 

On  January  26th  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gladstone,  Arnold  Mor- 
ley,  F.  Leveson-Gower,  and  Lord  Wolverton  dined  with 
us  at  St.  James's;  Mr.  Gladstone,  generally  a  model  of 
punctuality,  kept  us  waiting  till  nine  o'clock,  when  he 
came  in  looking  fagged  and  weary,  having  been  speaking 
on  Collings's  amendment.  He  told  my  wife  that  he  had 
had  a  fnauvaise  dizaine  de  jours.  He  soon  returned  to 
the  House,  saying  as  he  left  us  that  things  were  looking 
very  serious. 

In  the  morning  we  learned  that  the  government  had 
been  defeated  and  would  resign  ;  I  hoped  that  they  would 
be  forced  to  remain,  and  that  Sir  Michael  Hicks-Beach 
would  stay  at  the  Treasury. 

Mr.  W.  H.  Smith  had  been  sent  to  Ireland  about  forty 
hours  before  the  government  defeat,  and  Sir  William 
Harcourt  said  that  his  mission  had  been  conducted  on 
strictly  commercial  lines  of  small  profits  and  quick  re- 
turns. 

Sam  Whitbread,  whom  I  met,  thought  that  Harting- 
ton  would  join  Mr.  Gladstone's  new  government,  which 
Lord  Spencer  thought  would  be  satisfactorily  formed ; 
of  course  Ireland  would  be  a  fearful  difficulty,  but  Mr. 
Gladstone's  buoyancy,  earnestness,  and  faith  would  over- 
come all  obstacles. 

I  soon  heard  that  Lord  Ilartiiigton  would  not  join. 
Mr.  Gladstone  told  me  in  the  evening  at  his  house  that 
he  should  form  a  government  for  two  reasons  only — the 
first  was  that  the  undue  weight  attaching  to  his  age 
might  make  him  the  most  likely  man  to  settle  the  Irish 
question;  the  second,  that  he  wished  to  defer  the  in- 
evitable split  in  the  Liberal  party  as  long  as  possible. 
Chamberlain  was  cordially  in  agreement  with  him  now, 
though  he  feared  that  he  would  not  be  able  to  go  to  the 

392 


1886       THE    NEW    ADiM  I  N  ISTR  ATION 

lengths  he  would  probably  adopt.  Mr.  Gladstone's  idea 
of  radicalism  was  bounded  by  the  radicalism  of  John 
Bright. 

That  very  night,  after  we  had  left  Downing  Street, 
Henry  Pousonby  arrived  with  the  Queen's  summons  to 
Mr.  Gladstone,  and  Arthur  Balfour  told  Arnold  Morley 
that  he  was  sure  Mr.  Gladstone  would  succeed  in  form- 
ing an  administration. 

As  we  walked  away  from  dinner  one  night,  I  was  sorry 
to  hear  from  George  Leveson  that  the  attacks  in  the 
Press  on  Lord  Granville,  as  Foreign  Minister,  had  much 
annoyed  him,  and  that  he  was  determined  to  return  as 
Foreign  Secretary. 

The  next  day  things  were  shaping  themselves  rapidly. 
Richard  Grosvenor  told  me  that  Childers  would  go  to 
the  "War  Office,  while  he  himself  was  to  become  a  peer 
and  be  succeeded  as  chief  Whip  by  Arnold  Morley. 

On  February  1st  Mr.  Gladstone  went  across  to  Os- 
borne, and  kissed  hands  as  First  Lord  of  the  Treasury, 
in  his  third  administration  ;  Lord  Wolverton  dined  with 
us,  and,  needless  to  say,  discussed  very  fully  and  freely 
the  situation. 

February  2d  was  a  lovely  Candlemas  day,  and  Miss 
Mary  Gladstone's  wedding  to  Mr.  Drew  was  celebrated 
at  Westminster  Abbey.  We  dreaded  the  verification  of 
the  old  Latin  saying : 

Si  sol  candescat  Maria  purificante 

Majus  erit  frigus  post  festutn  quam  fuit  ante, 

which  proved  to  be  true. 

After  the  ceremony  we  all  adjourned  to  luncheon  at 
Mr.  Gladstone's,  who  asked  me  whom  I  should  propose 
as  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer.  I  humbly  suggested 
Chamberlain,  but  he  thought  that  the  City  would  be 
terrified  at  his  views  of  "ransom,"  while  I  maintained 

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that  a  few  weeks  of  official  experience  would  soften  the 
crudeness  of  his  views.  However,  Dis  aliter  visum,  and 
Sir  William  Harcourt  became  Chancellor,  while  Cham- 
berlain, after  refusing  to  be  First  Lord  of  the  Admiralty, 
was  relegated,  unfortunately,  to  the  Local  Government 
Board. 

In  a  few  days  I  got  the  following  kind  letter  from  Sir 
Michael  Hicks -Beach,  on  his  leaving  the  Exchequer, 
alluding  to  a  statement  that  Chancellors  of  the  Ex- 
chequer were  in  the  habit  of  manipulating,  by  hastening 
or  retarding,  the  collection  of  the  Income  Tax,  to  suit 
the  requirements  of  their  Budgets  : 

"  WiLUAMSTRip  Park,  Fairford,  February  \\,  1886. 

"Dear  Mr.  West, — Tlie  relurus,  for  which  I  asked  j'ou,  about 
the  licences,  have  duly  reached  me.  Many  thanks  for  them  ;  of 
course,  my  successor  will  have  copies  sent  to  him  also. 

"I  had  not  noticed  the  article  in  the  Economist  about  income-tax 
receipts.  I  do  not  know  whether  it  would  be  in  your  power  in  any 
way  to  get  the  misconception  set  right  in  a  future  issue  of  the 
paper  ;  of  course,  I  do  not  mean  by  any  communication  signed  by 
yourself  or  your  colleagues.  If  it  could  be  done,  I  think  it  would 
be  well,  mainly  to  disabuse  people  of  the  notion  that  Chancellors  of 
the  Exchequer  regulate  the  collection  of  taxes. 

"  I  am  very  much  obliged  to  you  for  what  you  are  kind  enough 
to  say  about  the  close  of  our  official  connection.  You  have  helped 
me  very  ably  and  loyally  in  more  than  one  matter ;  and,  though  I 
never  desire  to  get  back  to  office,  yet  if  fate  should  have  that  mis- 
fortune in  store  for  me,  I  hope  we  may  again  be  associated,  with 
some  more  practical  result  than  it  has  been  possible  to  achieve  in 
seven  months. 

"  Believe  me,  yours  very  truly, 

"M.    lilCKS-BEACH." 

On  February  4th  the  new  Cabinet  was  announced,  and 
I  was  pleased  to  find  that,  with  few  exceptions,  my  proph- 
ecies of  the  personnel  of  the  new  government  were  cor- 
rect. 

I  was  delighted  that  Lord  Wolverton,  who  had  been 

394 


1886     LORD    GRANVILLE    SUPERSEDED 

seriously  offered  the  Lord  -  Lieutenancy  of  L'eland,  was 
to  be  the  new  Postmaster-General,  which  would  suit  him 
much  better. 

Mr.  Gladstone  dined  with  us,  but  he  was  very  tired  and 
worn — and  no  wonder,  with  all  the  terrible  annoyances 
inseparable  from  the  formation  of  a  new  administration. 

It  had  been  settled  in  a  most  clumsy  manner  that  Lord 
Granville  was  to  be  superseded  at  the  Foreign  Office  by 
Lord  Rosebery,  a  very  proper  thing,  no  doubt ;  but  some- 
how or  another  Mr.  Gladstone  had  omitted  even  speaking 
to  him  about  it.  I  told  him  that  there  was  naturally  a 
sore  feeling  on  Lord  Granville's  part;  which  made  him 
very  unhappy.  "  I  am  quite  ready,"  he  said,  "  to  let  Lord 
Granville  be  Prime  Minister,  and  I  will  be  Chancellor  of 
the  Exchequer,  and  you  may  tell  him  so  from  me."  But 
it  was  in  vain,  and  Lord  Granville  became  Secretary  for 
the  Colonies. 

On  my  way  from  Somerset  House  one  evening  I  found 
that  there  had  been  serious  riots,  from  a  meeting  of  the 
unemployed  in  Trafalgar  Square  :  all  the  windows  were 
smashed  in  Pall  Mall,  Piccadilly,  and  Oxford  Street.  My 
wife  had  been  in  Lady  Fanny  Marjoribanks's  house,  where 
all  the  windows  were  broken. 

Colonel  Henderson,  the  Chief  of  the  Police,  was  dis- 
missed after  the  Pall  Mall  riots,  and  it  was  thought  Chil- 
ders  was  hard  upon  him  ;  but  men  in  responsible  posi- 
tions get  all  the  credit  Avhen  things  go  right,  and  so  must 
accept  the  blame  and  the  consequences  when  things  go 
wrong. 

I  had  an  interesting  talk  with  Mr.  Chamberlain  on 
local  taxation,  and  on  a  graduated  income  tax.  I  hope  I 
convinced  him  that  the  latter  was  most  inadvisable,  if 
not  impossible,  arguing  that  all  the  efforts  of  the  revenue 
authorities  had  for  many  years  been  successfully  employed 
in  taking  the  tax  at  the  fountain  head,  independently  of 

895 


RECOLLECTIONS  1886 

the  destination  of  the  dividends.  This  made  the  tax  far 
less  nnpopiihir  than  it  wouki  otherwise  have  been;  whereas 
if  it  was  graduated,  every  man's  income  must  be  investi- 
gated and  taxed,  and  individual  payments  would  have  to 
be  made,  which  would  create  wide-spread  dissatisfaction, 
and  make  the  tax  a  purely  voluntary  one,  irresjoective  of 
the  safeguards  on  returns  under  Schedule  "D."  There 
were  other  subjects,  such  as  liouse  tax  and  death  duties, 
much  more  suited  for  graduation,  he  agreed,  and  said 
he  did  not  care  what  it  was  as  long  as  graduation  was 
adopted  as  a  principle. 

The  next  day  I  saw  Mr.  Fowler,  the  Secretary  to  the 
Treasury,  and  on  the  11th  1  had  my  first  interview  with 
my  new  master,  Sir  William  Harcourt,  who  received  mo 
aux  Iras  ouverts  as  'Miis  guide,  philosopher,  and  friend." 
We  had  a  long  and  smoky  talk. 

We  dined  in  Downing  Street.  Lord  and  Lady  Gran- 
ville and  Lord  Ripon  were  there,  who  said  Harcourt  had 
already  begun  work  by  discussing  his  Estimates.  Lord 
Aberdeen,  who  was  just  back  from  L-eland,  where  he  had 
been  sworn  in  as  Lord  Lieutenant,  joined  us  during  the 
evening. 

On  the  first  day  of  the  meeting  of  the  new  Cabinet 
news  came  of  poor  Lord  Cardwell's  death.  His  mind 
had  latterly  given  way,  but  he  did  not  know  it,  and  felt 
injured  at  the  neglect  shown  him  by  his  exclusion  from 
office.  He  had  been  a  great  IMinister  of  War,  having 
abolished  purchase  and  established  short  service,  and,  for 
the  first  time  in  our  history,  a  Reserve  Army. 

A  day  or  two  afterwards  we  dined  at  Northbrook's, 
Avhere  we  met  Sir  Henry  Norman,  the  Governor  of  Ja- 
maica, whose  daughter  destroyed  any  illusion  I  might 
have  had  as  to  the  charms  of  a  residence  in  the  West  In- 
dies.    Lord  Derby,  Sir  Ashley  Eden,  and  Lord  Brassey 

were  there  also. 

396 


1886  NAPIER    STURT 

I  had  an  interesting  conversation  at  Somerset  House 
with  Sir  James  Allport,  the  General  Manager  of  the  Mid- 
land Railway,  on  stamp  duties  and  the  advantage  that 
would  ensue  from  their  composition,  which  would  induce 
railway  servants,  working-men,  and  others  to  invest  in 
small  sums  of  railway  stocks,  as  they  did  in  France.  He 
said  we  should  never  see  railways  really  developed  until 
low  fares  were  adopted.  During  the  rate  war  with  tiie 
Northern  lines,  when  you  could  go  to  York  for  Is.  %d., 
the  companies  had  coined  money. 

I  dined  at  Lord  Ripon's — a  large  man  dinner  ;  sat  next 
Herbert  Gladstone,  who  was  very  sanguine  about  Ireland, 
and  said  that  Mr.  Gladstone's  letter  to  Lord  de  Vesci 
was  an  attempt  to  draw  Parnell.  Mr.  Gladstone  himself 
was  very  hopeful  as  to  ultimate  success. 

The  weather  all  this  time  was  bearing  out  the  old 
adage,  and  the  cold  strengthened  as  the  days  lengthened. 

On  March  1.3th  we  dined  at  Lady  Harcourt's,  a  large 
party,  where  we  heard,  for  the  first  time,  of  poor  Napier 
Sturt's  death ;  an  amusing  and  charming  companion,  al- 
ways lamenting  the  sad  fate  that  pursued  younger  sons  ; 
he  had  lately  had  a  command  at  Winchester,  and  had 
entered  into  the  spirit  of  it  thoroughly,  and  was,  I  heard, 
very  particular  about  conduct  and  language. 

I  heard  there  was  to  be  a  petition  against  my  brother 
Henry  at  Ipswich,  brought  about  by  the  foolish  conduct 
of  his  colleague.  He  was  very  low  about  it,  for  which  I 
was  sorry,  as  no  man  ever  fought  a  battle  on  purity  lines 
so  well  or  so  pluckily. 

On  the  15th  we  dined  at  Lady  Halifax's,  and  were  glad 
to  meet  my  wife's  aunt,  Lady  Georgiana  Grey,  who  is 
eighty-five  years  old,  and  wonderfully  young  for  her 
years.  She  was  a  curious  t3'j)e  of  high  breeding  and 
fanciful  ideas,  and  was  apt  to  be  somewhat  tenacious  of 
her  opinions. 

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RECOLLECTIONS  1886 

On  the  following  day  I  passed  a  long  time  with  the 
Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer  in  Grafton  Street,  discuss- 
ing the  Budget,  which  was,  as  he  said,  only  to  be  a 
*' Cottage  Budget."  He  maintained  that  everything  in 
Mr.  Gladstone's  conduct  was  governed  by  two  prepon- 
derating influences — finance  and  theology. 

Up  to  March  18th  there  was  still  skating  in  St.  James's 
Park,  but  on  the  next  day,  with  glad  hearts,  we  wel- 
comed the  beginning  of  spring  weather,  and  on  the  20th 
I  took  my  daughter  Constance  to  Wanborough  to  see 
the  cottage  she  had  got  for  her  Girls'  Home,  and  found 
birds  singing  and  shrubs  bursting.  On  our  return  we 
dined  at  Lady  Rosebery's,  and  I  sat  next  to  Lady  Will- 
iam Compton,  who  made  herself  very  agreeable  by  the 
interest  she  manifested  in  a  garden  at  Compton  Conyers, 
where  she  was  going  to  live.  It  was  a  pleasant  contrast 
to  the  eternal  subject  of  politics,  for  I  heard  things  were 
not  going  smoothly  in  the  Cabinet,  and  Chamberlain  and 
Trevelyan  would  probably  resign. 

On  Saturday  we  went  to  Coombe  Wood,  in  which  Lord 
Wolverton  had  bought  a  house,  and  made  it  very  pretty 
under  the  artistic  guidance  of  Mr.  Devey,  the  famous 
architect,  with  whom  our  youngest  son  was  working; 
and  on  Sunday  Arnold  Morley  and  Lord  Spencer  came 
down,  and  discussed  the  Irish  question  from  every  point 
of  view. 

At  the  end  of  this  long  March  month  I  went  with  my 
wife  to  see  a  collection  of  Millais's  pictures.  How  won- 
derful that  a  man  can  be  so  good  and  so  bad  !  Gladstone 
the  finest  of  modern  pictures.  Lord  Beaconsfield  as  bad 
as  can  be. 

On  April  1st  I  met  Mr.  Gladstone,  who,  notwithstand- 
ing all  the  Cabinet  troubles,  remained  very  determined 
to  put  forward  his  scheme  for  Ireland,  even  if  he  stands 
alone.     Eddie  Hamilton  bet  me  £6  to  £4  that  Mr.  Glad- 

398 


1886    GLADSTONE    ANT)    HOME    RULE 

stone  does  not  carry  an}'^  scheme  for  Ireland  up  to  the 
House  of  Lords. 

The  question  was  before  the  Cabinet  whether  Customs 
and  Excise  were  to  be  given  over  to  the  Irish  government ; 
but  it  was  decided  to  keep  them,  before  I  had  time  to 
give  my  opinion  on  a  subject  bristling  with  difficulties. 

April  8th  was  the  day  fixed  for  Mr.  Gladstone's  Home 
Rule  speech,  and  as  I  walked  down  to  the  House,  I 
noticed  that  Big  Ben  had  stopped  rather  ominously. 
The  crowd  outside  was  very  great,  and  in  the  lobby 
tremendous,  all  the  Peers  and  under-the-gallery  people 
acting  exactly  as  we  used  to  in  a  "rouge"  at  football 
at  Eton.  The  floor  of  the  House  was  filled  with  chairs, 
for  the  first  time  in  parliamentary  history,  all  the  way  up, 
many  of  them  having  been  taken  from  5  a.m. 

Mr.  Gladstone's  approach  was  heralded  with  cheers — 
the  whole  House  rising  on  his  entrance,  except  the  front 
opposition  bench. 

He  spoke  for  three  hours  and  five  minutes,  his  voice, 
as  it  always  did,  getting  clearer  and  stronger  to  the  end. 
Lord  Wolverton  came  home  to  dinner,  and  to  describe  it 
all  to  my  wife.  With  him  I  went  to  the  General  Post 
Office,  to  see  how  Mr.  Gladstone's  speech  had  been  sent 
off  to  the  provinces ;  we  found  when  we  got  there,  at  ten 
o'clock,  that  it  had  already  been  received  verbatim  at 
New  York  and  at  every  capital  in  Europe.  Then  I 
learned  that  under  the  building  there  were  stowed  away 
1000  miles  of  telegraph  wires. 

On  our  way  home  we  met  Lord  Spencer,  who  said  the 
only  alternative  to  Mr.  Gladstone's  scheme  would  be 
strong  coercion. 

The  next  day  we  went  to  Coombe ;  and  Lord  Wolver- 
ton calculated  that  the  government  might  get  a  majority 
of  twenty- five  on  the  second  reading  of  the  Bill,  but  he 
was  always  of  a  singularly  sanguine  temperament. 

399 


RECOLLECTIONS  1886 

On  April  l:^tli  I  was  busy  all  clay  upon  the  Revenue 
clauses  for  the  Irish  Bill,  and  in  the  evening  we  dined  at 
Mr.  Gladstone's;  Mr.  Bright  was  there,  and  I  thought 
him  very  querulous,  and  Mr,  Gladstone  was  rather  short 
witli  his  querulousness,  so  altogether  the  dinner  was  not 
as  pleasant  as  nsual,  but  I  Avent  down  to  the  House  of 
Commons  and  had  a  little  talk  with  George  Trevelyan, 
who  was  very  despondent  and  v/ondcred  how  Mr.  Glad- 
stone could  have  led  the  party  into  such  an  impasse; 
and  with  Mr.  Chamberlain,  Avho  said  I  should  live  to  see 
the  day  when  finance  would  be  the  great  question,  and  a 
plan  I  had  suggested,  of  succession  duty  being  paid  in 
kind  to  Local  Boards,  which  he  approved  of,  might  be 
adopted  ;  but  Mr.  Gladstone  overshadowed  every  finan- 
cier now,  and  we  Avere  always  niggling. 

Edward  Marjoribanks  said  they  must  keep  the  Irish 
M.P.'s  in  the  House,  as  100  votes  would  depend  upon 
their  retention  ;  I,  in  my  ignorance,  should  have  thought 
the  prospect  of  their  absence  would  have  been  a  tempt- 
ing bait. 

On  the  13th,  after  Sir  William  Harcourt's  speech,  which 
was  very  rallying,  the  Gladstones,  Lord  Wolverton,  Lady 
Fanny  Marjoribanks,  Charles  Guthrie,  and  Frank  Mild- 
may  dined  with  us,  and  we  all  went  back  to  the  House 
with  Mr.  Gladstone.  The  scheme  has  many  enemies,  but 
no  rival,  and  so  'Miolds  the  field  " — and  I  cannot  but  still 
hope  it  may  pass  the  House  of  Commons,  after  all  these 
threatenings. 

On  the  loth,  the  "  Cottage  Budget,"  which  naturally 
produced  very  little  comment  or  controversy,  was 
brought  in. 

On  the  21st  I  heard  to  my  great  grief  that  Mrs.  Alfred 
Lyttclton  was  very  ill,  but  on  calling  at  Brook  Street  I 
found  Lady  Ribblesdale,  who  was  in  better  spirits  and 
said  she  was  recovering.     Delighted  with  the  good  news, 

400 


188G       SIR    ERSKINE    MAY    RETIRES 

we  went  off  to  Wanborough  for  a  little  Easter  holiday, 
and  on  Satnrday,  the  24th,  to  Stratton,  but  on  the  next 
— Easter  morning — heard  that  our  dear  little  friend  had 
passed  aAvay  :  she  was  too  angelic  and  meteoric  for  this 
life,  and  Heaven  will  be  richer  for  her,  but  we  much 
poorer. 

Sir  Erskine  May,  who  had  made  up  his  mind  to  retire, 
wrote  to  me  in  answer  to  a  letter  of  mine  : 

"  Longford  House,  The  Leas,  Folkestone,  May  4,  1886. 
"Dear  Mr.  Algernon  West, — Pray  accept  my  hearty  thanks 
for  your  very  kind  letter. 

"  The  Civil  Service  never  had  so  generous  a  friend  and  patron  as 
Mr.  Gladstone,  and  I  ara  the  latest  example  of  his  good-will. 

"  My  change  of  destiny  has  not  come  a  day  too  soon,  for  my 
health  has  quite  broken  down  lately  ;  I  have  been  laid  up  here  the 
last  fortnight,  and  at  a  time  when  I  particularly  wished  to  be  in 
town  I  am  detained  here  sorely  against  my  will. 

"You  may  be  well  content  with  your  son's  position  and  pros- 
pects. Promotion  has  been  slow  ;  but  we  shall  soon  be  approaching 
a  more  ancient  stratum  of  official  fossils. 

"  Yours  very  trul3% 

"T.  Erskine  May." 

On  May  12th  I  called  in  Downing  Street  and  saw  Mrs. 
Gladstone,  who  begged  us  to  go  in  the  evening  as  they 
had  a  "stiff  dinner,"  so  we  dined  at  home  and  went 
there.  I  talked  to  Sir  Henry  James,  who  told  me  that 
he  had  come  to  the  conclusion  that  this  Irish  question 
must  be  settled  in  one  way  or  another;  Lord  Harting- 
ton  did  not  want  to  take  office,  and  they  could  not 
trust  the  Tories  to  deal  with  so  fearful  a  subject.  All 
the  Liberals  at  Mr.  Chamberlain's  meeting,  forty-nine  or 
fifty-two,  had  settled  to  attend  the  Hartington  meeting, 
and  the  result  would  be  a  complete  disruption  of  the 
Liberal  party.  I  asked  him  whether,  seeing  this  im- 
minent calamity,  he  could  not  come  to  terras.  He  said 
the  thing  was  rendered  much  more  difficult  by  Mr.  Glad- 
2  c  401 


RECOLLECTIONS  1886 

stone's  overwhelming  superiority,  which  rendered  nego- 
tiiitions  very  difficult,  for  they  could  not  ask  a  man  in 
his  position  to  withdraw  the  Bill,  and  tliey  were  pledged 
to  vote  against  the  second  reading;  but  if  in  some  way 
or  another  the  principle  of  autonomy  could  be  put  for- 
Avard,  the  majority,  possibly  including  llartiugton,  would 
vote  for  it,  and  on  it  a  Bill  could  be  introduced  and  con- 
sidered in  the  autumn  session. 

I  said  that  it  was  ridiculous  that  he,  the  cleverest  law- 
yer in  England,  could  not  make  a  bridge  if  this  was  all 
that  was  wanted.     He  said  it  Avas  very  difficult  to  do  so. 

I  spoke  about  this  to  Mr.  Gladstone,  who  said  the 
people  in  the  House  of  Commons  were  not  apt  to  be  so 
modest  about  his  superiority,  but  was  very  much  im- 
pressed at  what  I  told  him ;  he  did  not  consider  the  Bill 
doomed  while  many  brains  Avere  actively  engaged  in  en- 
deavoring to  find  a  modus  vivendi,  notably  Mr.  Whit- 
bread.  He  Avas  clearly,  I  think,  ready  to  postpone  to 
another  session  the  details  of  the  Bill,  if  by  accepting 
this  compromise  the  party  could  be  kept  together. 

Afterwards  I  visited  the  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer's 
and  the  Cosmopolitan,  Avhere  I  saw  Herbert  Gladstone, 
Avho  Avas,  as  nsual,  very  sanguine. 

On  Saturday,  the  15th,  Mr.  Gladstone  came  to  Coombe, 
Avhere  my  wife  and  I  Avere.  He  was  in  one  of  his  provok- 
ing, frivolous  moods,  making  a  Cabinet  for  Hartington, 
which  on  the  17th  appeared,  as  he  had  Avritten  it,  in  the 
Poll  Mall  Gazette,  and  we  could  not  imagine  how  it  got 
there. 

I  put  before  him  a  resolution  Avhich  St.  Cyres  and  I 
had  concocted:  ''That  this  House,  having  recognized 
the  principle  of  Irish  autonomy  by  reading  for  a  first 
time  the  Bill  for  the  Better  Government  of  Ireland, 
trusts  that  the  present  government,  in  Avhich  it  reposes 
entire  confidence,  Avill,  in  a  session  specially  devoted  to 

403 


1886  DIVERGENT    VIEWS 

the  purpose,  introduce  measures  for  establishing  a  stat- 
utory Parliament  with  defined  powers  at  Dublin,  and 
for  securing  the  just  rights  and  liberties  of  all  creeds 
and  classes  of  Irishmen." 

Mr.  Gladstone  said  it  was  too  late,  he  feared,  for  con- 
ciliation, and  a  government  should  not  proceed  by  reso- 
lution, which  could  not  pledge  the  House  of  Commons 
to  a  principle  on  the  first  reading  of  a  Bill.  His  resolu- 
tions on  the  Irish  Church  were  made  when  he  was  in 
opposition. 

Sir  William  Harcourt  came  on  Sunday,  and  of  course 
talked  all  day  and  night  on  the  Irish  question. 

Great  authorities  differed  on  the  possibilities  of  ar- 
rangement, but  the  balance  of  opinion  seemed  to  me  to 
be  against  it. 

After  Easter  there  was  a  meeting  of  the  Liberal  party 
at  the  Foreign  Office,  which  it  was  hoped  might  be  suc- 
cessful. 

One  night  we  met  Lord  ISTorthbrook  at  dinner,  who 
told  me  that  Bright  said  to  him  that  he  was  old  and  that 
he  hoped  to  be  forgiven,  but  he  could  not  get  over  the 
conduct  of  the  Irishmen  in  past  days  to  him ;  Lord 
Northbrook  himself  hoped  that  the  Home  Eule  Bill 
would  be  even  now  withdrawn. 

Edward  Marjoribanks  told  me  there  were  thirty -six 
men  who  had  not  yet  bowed  the  knee  to  Baal  and  were 
unpledged,  and  still  talked  of  a  hope  for  carrying  the 
second  reading ;  if  not  there  must  be  an  immediate  dis- 
solution. 

On  June  4th  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gladstone,  Paulton,  Edward 
Grey,  and  John  Morley  dined  with  us,  Mr.  Gladstone 
being  in  great  form  and  spirits,  notwithstanding  all  his 
anxieties  and  troubles.  Nothing  seems  to  weigh  him 
down. 


CHAPTER    XXII 
JUNE-JULY.  1886 

Mr.  Gladstone's  Sanguine  Temper— Scene  in  tlie  House— Speeches 
by  Mr.  Gosclieu,  Mr.  Puruell,  Mr.  Cowen,  and  Sir  Michael 
Hicks-Beach- Mr.  Gladstone's  Reply— The  Division  :  Delight 
of  the  Unionists— Mr.  Gladstone  at  Coombe  Wood:  his  Opinion 
of  the  Inland  Revenue  and  Customs  Board— Mr.  Gladstone's 
Desire  to  Help  Lord  Salisbury— Resignation  of  Mr.  Adam 
Young:  Appointment  of  Lord  St.  Gyres  as  Ueputy-Chairman 
—Letters  from  Lord  Iddesleigh,  Mr.  Chamberlain,  and  Mr. 
Gladstone— Farewell  Dinner  at  Downing  Street— Quotation 
from  Sidney  Herbert— Lord  Herschell's  Visit  to  Wanborough: 
his  Anecdotes— Lord  Randolph  Churchill  Appointed  Leader  and 
Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer. 

In  those  early  days  of  Jnue  I  never  heard  whether  or 
not  Mr.  Gladstone  anticipated  defeat.  Everything  point- 
ed to  it,  but  I  do  not  think  that  he  admitted  its  possi- 
bility even  to  a  great  friend  who  visited  him  at  Dollis 
Hill,  on  the  Sunday  week  before  the  division,  with  pro- 
phetic warnings. 

On  the  eventful  Monday  afternoon  Arnold  Morley, 
visiting  him  in  Downing  Street,  found  him  absorbed  in 
a  French  novel  and  somewhat  put  out  by  the  inter- 
ruption. 

I  heard  that  members  had  secured  tlieir  seats  since  six 
in  the  morning,  in  anticipation  of  the  division  on  the 
Home  Rule  Bill,  and  I  was  apprehensive  that  I  might 
fail  in  getting  under  the  gallery,  more  particularly  as  I 
was  engaged  on  a  committee  at  the  Treasury,  and  only 

404 


1886  DEBATE    ON    HOME    RULE 

got  away  from  it  jnst  in  time  to  find  myself  in  the 
struggling  crowd  of  Peers  and  ticket  -  holders  in  the 
lobby  of  the  House  of  Commons.  I  succeeded  in  getting 
in  time  to  hear  a  bitter  speech  of  Goschen's,  followed  by 
Parnell's  wonderfully  clear  and  incisive  speech  when  he 
made,  for  the  first  time,  his  allusion  to  the  offer  he  had 
received  from  the  Conservative  party  for  the  complete 
autonomous  government  of  Ireland. 

He  was  very  touching  when  he  taunted  Chamberlain 
with  throwing  his  sword  into  the  scale  against  Ireland, 
and  dashing  from  the  Irish  people  the  cup  of  cold  water 
just  as  it  was  reaching  their  lips — "  The  first  cup  of  cold 
water  that  has  been  offered  to  our  nation  since  the  recall 
of  Lord  Fitz William." 

I  went  away  for  dinner,  still  uncertain  as  to  the  di- 
vision, and  on  my  return  found  my  place  under  the 
gallery  taken,  so  I  had  to  go  upstairs  in  the  Speaker's 
gallery,  where  I  heard  a  rugged  and  eloquent  speech 
from  ''Joe"  Cowen,  who  spoke  with  a  strong  Northern 
accent.  It  was  of  him  that  Disraeli  said  he  had  heard 
he  was  a  good  speaker,  but  as  he  did  not  understand  his 
language  he  was  no  judge. 

On  entering  the  House  I  saw  Lord  "Wolverton,  who  was 
coming  out  of  the  chief  Whip's  room,  and  he  told  me 
there  were  yet  hopes  of  the  Bill  being  carried  —  which 
added  to  the  evening's  excitement.  None  really  knew 
what  the  result  would  be,  though  those  behind  the  scenes 
had  become  painfully  aware  of  the  probable  defeat. 

Then  a  long  speech  from  Sir  Michael  Hicks-Beach  (of 
which  we  were  to  hear  more  later  on),  who  emphatically 
denied  the  overtures  of  Lord  Carnarvon,  and  then  Mr. 
Gladstone  rose  amidst  torrents  of  cheers  to  wind  up  the 
debate. 

I  did  not  think  at  the  commencement  of  his  speech 
that  he  was  at  his  best,  but  he  soon  warmed  with  his  sub- 

405 


llECOLLECTIOxNS  1886 

ject  and  was  magnificent  in  voice,  in  gesture,  and  de- 
livery. 

After  his  peroration — "  Think,  I  beseech  yon,  think 
well,  think  wisely,  think  not  for  the  moment,  but  for 
the  years  that  are  to  come,  before  you  reject  this  bill" — 
the  House  cleared  for  a  division,  and  we  in  the  gallery, 
which  was  crowded  to  suffocation,  were  left  in  a  state  of 
profound  suspense.  I  myself  had  been  sitting  next  to  a 
member  who  to  the  last  minute  was  undecided,  and  told 
me  as  he  passed  to  the  division  how  he  would  vote. 

The  Bar  became  Jammed,  and  Mr.  Gladstone  could 
hardly  make  his  way  through  to  the  front  Treasury 
bench,  where,  with  a  calm  face,  he  commenced  writing 
on  his  knee  his  letter  to  the  Queen.  I  had  despaired  of 
the  result,  and  yet  I  had  a  particle  of  hope  from  Lord 
Wolverton,  and  when  I  saw  Edward  Marjoribanks,  as  a 
splendid  illustration  of  the  inens  ceqna  in  arduis,  sit 
down  smiling,  as  he  whispered  the  result  to  Mr.  Glad- 
stone, that  hope,  which  was  so  soon  to  be  disappointed, 
asserted  itself  more  strongly. 

Arnold  Morley  came  in,  and  with  Marjoribanks  stood 
at  the  left  of  the  table,  and  I  knew  the  game  was  over 
— Ayes,  311;  Noes,  341. 

The  Conservatives  with  their  Unionist  allies  seemed 
to  have  gone  mad  witli  delirious  delight.  When  they 
knew  the  victory  was  theirs,  shouts,  in  which  I  am  sorry 
to  say  the  strangers  in  the  gallery  shared,  went  up  for 
Mr.  Gladstone  and  groans  for  Mr.  Chamberlain,  and  the 
curtain  of  that  momentous  drama  fell. 

I  walked  home  with  Arnold  Morley  to  Downing  Street, 
through  a  surging,  cheering  crowd,  heard  that  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Gladstone  were  well,  and  went  home  feeling  as- 
sured that  a  dissolution  was  not  far  off. 

On  June  12th  I  drove  my  daughter  Constance  to 
Lady  Wolverton's,  Coombe  Wood.     Mr.  Gladstone,  who 

406 


1886     THE    PASSING    OF    FINANCIERS 

was  staying  there,  bad  been  occupied  in  writing  his  Ad- 
dress, but  came  to  tea,  and  shortly  after  he  asked  me 
to  go  with  him  for  a  walk;  talking  of  his  Address,  he 
feared  it  might  be  too  long,  but  it  was  not  as  long  as 
Mr.  Chamberlain's,  whose  name  he  had  not  even  men- 
tioned. He  had  driven  home  the  comparison  between 
Lord  Salisbury's  and  his  mode  of  governing  Ireland,  the 
only  two  alternatives,  and  sorrowfully  admitted  that  he 
had  lost  in  this  division  a  great  deal  of  talent. 

I  told  him  that  Adam  Young,  my  deputy  at  the  Board 
of  Inland  Revenue,  was  going  to  retire,  which  he  re- 
gretted, thinking  it  a  great  loss.  Then  he  repeated  what 
he  had  said  to  me  often  before,  that  he  looked  on  the  In- 
land Revenue  as  a  model  of  all  that  was  good. 

The  Customs  Board  was,  and  always  had  been,  very 
behindhand ;  he  had  never  had  but  one  suggestion  from 
them  in  all  his  long  experience,  and  that  was  the  penny 
duty  on  all  packages,  which  he  had  at  once  been  forced 
to  give  up  and  run  away  from,  like  a  dog  with  its  tail 
between  its  legs.  He  wondered  at  the  cause  of  the  dif- 
ference in  the  traditions  of  the  two  departments.  John 
Wood  and  Sir  Charles  Pressley  were  very  remarkable 
men  and  excellent  Chairmen  of  the  Board. 

I  suggested  that  Lord  St.  Cyres  should  succeed  Adam 
Young  as  deputy,  to  which  he  at  once  agreed. 

He  asked  me  about  Sir  Michael  Hicks-Beach  as  Chan- 
cellor of  the  Exchequer,  and  I  told  him  how  pleasant 
our  communications  were  during  the  short  time  he  had 
been  in  office. 

He  regretted  there  was  no  available  financier  now. 
The  race  was  becoming  extinct  since  the  days  of  Peel. 

Lord  Iddesleigh,  he  admitted,  had  all  the  principles  at 
his  fingers'  ends,  had  knowledge,  good  sense,  and  abso- 
lute uprightness,  but  was  wanting  in  strength. 

We  walked  in  the  lovely  wood  above  the  garden  for 

407 


RECOLLECTIONS  1886 

some  time,  enjoying  the  splendid  views  as  if  politics 
were  not,  but  we  soon  drifted  again  into  discussing  the 
elections,  when  he  told  me,  which  I  knew  before,  of  his 
anxiety  to  help  Lord  Salisbury  on  the  Irish  question. 

On  the  14th  we  went  to  Holmbury.  Mr.  Gladstone 
was  very  hopeful,  and  the  next  day  produced  his  Ad- 
dress. My  only  criticism  was  that  the  world  was  igno- 
rant of  his  offer  to  help  Lord  Salisbury  to  deal  with  the 
Irish  question,  and  his  Address  said  nothing  of  it. 

Mr.  Gladstone  discussed  Chamberlaiii's  plan  for  buy- 
ing all  holdings  under  thirty  acres,  etc. 

Lord  Randolph  Churchill,  I  heard,  anticipated  that 
the  Tories  would  come  back  300  strong  and  Unionists  50. 

My  old  friend,  Adam  Young,  to  my  deep  regret,  re- 
signed his  Deputy-Chairmanship  ;  he  was  a  splendid  type 
of  a  Civil  servant  of  the  old  school — upright,  conscien- 
tious, hard-working,  and  intelligent,  all  his  thought 
being  in  his  work ;  Mr.  Gladstone  at  once,  as  we  had 
arranged,  appointed  Lord  St.  Cyres  to  be  his  successor. 

Lord  Iddesleigh  wrote: 

"  Pynks,  Exeter,  June  29,  188C. 

"My  dear  Mr.  West, — Let  me  thank  you  very  sincerely  for 
your  kind  letter,  and  not  for  that  alone  ;  for  your  friendship  and 
the  assistance  yo»i  have  given  to  Walter  in  the  opening  of  his  career 
have  been  of  immense  value  to  him,  and  have  made  him  take  a 
hearty  interest  in  his  work.  I  hope  he  will  long  have  the  privilege 
of  working  with  you. 

"  Mr.  Gladstone's  letter  is  more  than  kind,  and  I  have  been  writ- 
ing to  thank  him.  I  need  not  say  that  the  promotion  is  peculiarly 
gratifying  as  coming  from  him. 

"Rather  envying  you  your  quiet  post  of  observation  in  these 

stormy  days, 

"  I  remain,  yours  very  faithfully, 

"  Iddesleigh." 

I  had  inquired  into  some  little  matter  for  Mr.  Cham- 
berlain, who,  after  thanking  me,  adds  characteristically  : 

408 


1 


188G  GOVERNMENT  BY  DEPARTMENTS 

''  What  a  pretty  smash  our  Chief  has  made  of  it !  It  is 
not  often  given  to  the  leader  of  a  party  twice  to  bring  his 
followers  to  utter  grief  by  an  unexpected  coup-de-main." 

The  elections  ended,  as  we  all  know,  with  the  defeat 
of  Mr.  Gladstone's  third  administration,  and  on  July 
13th  Mr.  Gladstone,  probably  anticipating  that  Lord 
Salisbury  would  again  become  Prime  Minister  and  Sec- 
retary for  Foreign  Affairs,  wrote  to  me  as  follows : 

"  Hawarden  Castle,  Chester,  July  12,  1886. 

"My  dear  West, — Ou  the  forraatioa  of  the  Salisbury  govern- 
ment last  year,  I  thought  the  arrangement  as  to  the  First  Lordship 
of  the  Treasury  highly  objectionable  on  various  grounds.  But  it 
was  not  forced  ou  the  consideration  of  the  House,  as  it  would  be  if 
it  were  renewed  on  the  next  consideration  of  an  Estimate,  or  as  it 
might  be  by  any  one. 

"  Some  of  the  objections  are  palpable  on  the  surface.  But  there 
is  one  which  cannot  be  fully  appreciated,  except  by  persons  who 
have  had  a  large  experience  either  of  my  ofBce  or  of  the  Foreign 
OflSce,  where  the  Foreign  Minister  is  head  :  (1)  The  government 
must  iu  this  country  be  a  government  of  departments  ;  and  (2)  There 
is  no  one  either  to  assist  or  at  all  check  the  Foreign  Minister. 

"As  a  matter  of  fairness,  I  should  be  glad  if,  apropos  de  bottes 
and  as  a  matter  of  history,  you  could  convey  the  state  of  my  mind. 

"  Sincerely  yours, 

"  W.  E.  Gladstone. 

"  P.S.— One  does  not  at  once  see  why  Iddesleigh  might  not  take 
the  Foreign  Office,  especially  as  his  health  is  not  strong." 

On  the  23d  I  was  asked  to  dine  at  a  farewell  dinner 
in  Downing  Street :  we  had  dined  there  at  their  first, 
and  now  at  their  last  party. 

On  my  arrival  I  was  greeted  by  Mr.  Gladstone  as  '^  Sir 
Algernon,"  the  Queen  having  approved  of  my  K.C.B., 
which  pleased  me,  and  I  knew  would  delight  my  wife. 

Lord  and  Lady  Spencer,  Lady  Aylesbury,  Lord  and 
Lady  Dalhousie,  Carmichael,  Welby,  and  Eddie  Hamil- 
ton were  there  to  partake  of  the  funeral  baked  meats. 

409 


RECOLLECTIONS  1880 

I  had  a  discussion  with  Mr.  Ghidstone  as  to  a  quota- 
tion from  Sidney  Herbert,  who  was  always  so  accurate 
that  I  was  frightened,  but  for  a  wonder  found  myself 
right.  Next  day  I  wrote  to  Mr.  Gladstone  thanking  him 
for  the  honor  of  my  K.C.B.,  and  added  a  P.S.  proving 
that  I  was  right  in  the  quotation  I  had  made  the  night 
before. 

"Board  Room,  Somerset  House,  July'ii,  1886. 
"My  dear  Mr.  Gladstone,— A  few  weeks  before  bis  death, 
Sir  Erskine  May  wrote  to  me  sayiug,  '  The  Civil  Service  never  had 
80  generous  a  friend  and  patron  as  Mr.  Gladstone.' 

"Having  experienced  at  your  bands  such  countless  acts  of  per- 
sonal kindness,  I  hope  you  will  allow  me  to  accept  the  honor  you 
so  kindly  offered  me  last  night,  not  as  a  personal  honor  to  myself, 
but  as  a  mark  of  your  appreciation  of  the  work  done  by  the  Civil 
Service,  and  more  especially  by  the  Inland  Revenue  branch  of  it, 
in  which  you  have  alwaj^s  taken  so  generous  an  interest. 

"  With  many  grateful  thanks  for  the  honor,  the  value  of  which 
is  trebled  as  coming  from  you, 

"  I  am,  yours  very  truly, 

"Algernon  West. 

"P.S. — I  inclose  the  quotation  from  Mr.  Sidney  Herbert's  speech 
to  which  you  alluded  last  night. 

"  '  For  it  is  not  words  that  humiliate,  but  deeds.  If  a  man  wants 
to  see  humiliation,  which  God  knows  is  always  a  painful  sight,  he 
need  but  look  there  '  "  (pointing  to  the  Treasury  bench).' 

On  Saturday  I  went  down  to  Wanborough  with  Alfred 
Lyttelton  and  Lady  Ribblesdale,  meeting  my  son  Horace 
at  the  station,  and  telling  him  of  my  new  honor. 

The  Herschells  came  later.  I  had  told  my  wife  that 
as  long  as  he  was  Lord  Chancellor  he  would  bring  with 
him  the  Great  Seal,  not  thinking  that  he  really  would  do 
so — but  he  told  us  it  accompanied  him  wherever  he 
went;  and  so  poor  little  Wanborough  had  the  honor  of 

'  Right  Hon.  S.  Herbert,  November  26,  1852.  Hansard,  p.  613, 
vol.  cxxiii. 

410 


i 


1886    LORD    IIEKSCllELL'S    ANECDOTES 

having  the  Great  Seal  of  England  under  its  roof.  After 
tea  we  all  walked  over  to  Puttenham — Herschell,  as  usual, 
full  of  stories. 

In  addressing  a  forger  of  bank  notes,  sentenced  to 
death,  he  told  us  how  a  judge  had  said  :  "  I  can  hold  out 
no  hope  to  you  of  mercy  here,  and  I  must  urge  you  to 
make  preparation  for  another  world,  where  I  hope  you 
may  obtain  that  mercy  which  a  due  regard  to  the  credit 
of  our  paper  currency  forbids  you  to  hope  for  here." 

With  reference  to  Mr.  Gladstone's  cruise  with  Donald 
Currie,  some  one  had  written  : 

"Their  places  to  the  North  were  booked, 
Then  round  the  coast  they  hurried  ; 
While  common  folk  are  only  '  Cooked,' 
The  G.O.M.  is  'Curried.'" 

He  told  us  of  an  American  who  had  bought  some  red 
flannel  shirts  which  were  warranted  neither  to  lose  their 
color  nor  shrink  in  the  wash.  After  a  fortnight  he  went 
to  the  store  where  he  had  purchased  them,  and  was 
asked  by  the  shopman  whether  the  shirts  had  lost  color 
or  shrunk.  "All  I  can  say,"  he  replied,  "is  that  when 
I  came  down  with  one  of  them  on  to  breakfast,  my  wife 
said  to  me,  '  What  have  you  got  my  pink  coral  necklace 
round  your  throat  for  ?' " 

He  told  us  also  of  a  barrister  of  the  name  of  Jones, 
whose  loquacity  Chief  Justice  Cockburn  vainly  tried  to 
stem — "  The  time  is  passing,  Mr.  Jones."  "  Let  it  pass, 
my  lord,"  Avith  a  wave  of  the  hand.  "  There  are  three 
cases  on  the  list  after  this,  Mr.  Jones."  "  I,  my  lord, 
have  studied  the  list,  and  in  not  one  of  the  three  am  I 
or  my  client  interested  in  the  smallest  degree." 

On  Tuesday  Ave  travelled  up  Avith  John  Morley,  who 
had  taken  a  little  house  at  Elstead,  a  village  not  far 
from  us.    He  confirmed  Avhat  Herschell  had  told  us,  that 

411 


RECOLLECTIONS  1886 

Lord  Randolph  Churchill  was  to  be  leader  and  Chancel- 
lor of  the  Exchequer. 

On  July  28th  Edward  and  Lady  Fanny  Marjoribanks 
came,  and  I  congratulated  her  on  Lord  Randolph's  ap- 
pointment, which  she  would  not  at  first  believe,  but  a 
long  talk  with  her  about  her  brother  to  a  great  extent 
allayed  my  melancholy  forebodings  of  his  becoming 
Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer.  A  few  days  after  I  heard 
from  Welby  of  his  first  pleasant  interview  with  the  new 
Chancellor,  and  the  next  day  I  saw  Lord  Randolph,  and 
was  struck  with  his  extreme  courtesy  and  somewhat  old- 
fashioned  manners  and  dignified  solemnity. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

JULY-DECEMBER,  1886 

Lord  Randolph  and  the  Old  Officials — Their  Dismay  and  Recon- 
ciliation— Interviews  in  the  Board  Room  and  at  Connaught 
Place— The  "Fourth  Party  Sofa"— Lord  Randolph  and  the 
Decimals — His  Assiduity  and  Concentration — Propositions  for 
the  Budget — Economy  his  Ruling  Idea — His  Visits  to  Somerset 
House  and  the  Custom  House — His  Sudden  Resignation — His 
Personal  Relations  with  his  Opponents  and  Mr.  Gladstone — 
His  Attacks  on  Mr.  Gladstone's  Transvaal  Policy  and  Subse- 
quent Retractation — His  Sense  of  Humor  and  Gifts  as  a  Phrase- 
coiner —  Mr.  Gladstone's  Letter  to  his  Mother  —  Mr.  Gladstone 
at  Wanborough  :  Writes  his  Farewell  Address  on  Leaving  Office 
— Deputation  from  Guildford — Visit  to  the  Italian  Lakes — Death 
of  George  Barrington — Lord  Granville's  Anecdotes  of  Charles 
Greville— Mr.  Ralston  at  the  Holborn  Restaurant — L' Envoi. 

Up  to  this  time  we  old  officials  who  had  been  edu- 
cated in  the  school  of  Lord  Palmerston,  Lord  John 
Russell,  Mr.  Gladstone,  and  Sir  Stafford  Northcote,  re- 
garded Lord  Randolph  as  an  impossible  man,  "  whose 
breath  was  agitation  and  his  life  a  storm  on  which  he 
rode."  He  was  to  our  eyes  a  visible  genius,  an  intense 
and  unquenchable  personality,  an  embodied  tour  deforce; 
but  as  a  serious  Minister  of  the  Crown  he  was  to  us  an 
impossibility.  In  his  fierce  assaults  on  Mr.  Gladstone 
he  had  attacked  the  best  friend  the  Civil  Service  ever 
had;  and  it  was  a  moot  point  which  was  in  greater 
dread — we  of  his  entrance  within  the  portals  of  a  gov- 
ernment department,  or  he  of  having  to  associate  in  daily 

413 


RECOLLECTIONS  1886 

business  with  men  whom  he  curtly  described  to  a  friend 
as  "a  knot  of  d — d  Gladstonians."  He  was  a  man  to 
whom  the  words  of  Hookliam  Frere  in  Monks  and  Giants 
might  as  suitably  be  applied  as  they  were  to  that  kindred 
spirit,  the  brave  and  fiery  Peterborough : 

"His  birth,  it  seems,  by  Merlin's  calculation 
Was  under  Venus,  Mercury,  and  Mars ; 
His  mind  with  all  their  attitudes  was  mixed, 
And  like  those  planets  wandering  and  unfixed. 
His  schemes  of  war  were  sudden,  unforeseen, 
Inexplicable  both  to  friend  and  foe. 
He  seemed  as  if  some  momentary  spleen 
Inspired  the  project  and  impelled  the  blow." 

Such  was  the  impression  we  had  of  him,  not  unnatural 
and  certainly  not  wholly  wrong.  But  there  were  other 
aspects  to  his  many-sided  nature — the  reckless  knight- 
errant  of  debate  proved  at  the  same  time  a  patient,  stren- 
uous, thorough,  and  far-sighted  administrator. 

Lord  Randolph,  between  the  fall  of  the  Tory  Govern- 
ment and  his  return  to  office  as  Chancellor  of  the  Ex- 
chequer, had  made  himself  the  mouthpiece  of  an  attack 
with  a  venom  not  his  own  on  the  Chairman  and  Deputy- 
Chairman  of  the  Board  of  Inland  Revenue.  "  Those 
were,"  as  he  said,  "  my  ignorant  days."  When  he  as- 
sumed office  as  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer,  notwith- 
standing the  reputation  he  had  made  for  himself  at  the 
India  Office,  he  still  appeared  to  the  minds  of  Treasury 
officials  as  a  Minister  who  would  in  all  probability  ride 
roughshod  over  cherished  traditions  and  habits  which 
were  very  dear  to  them.  That  such  a  man,  with  all  his 
faults  and  glaring  indiscretions,  whose  inclinations  be- 
came passions,  should  have  attached  to  himself  a  body 
of  men  like  the  Civil  Service  of  England,  was  little  short 
of  a  miracle.  A  Frenchman,  in  a  conversation  with  Pitt 
at  the  end  of  the  last  century,  expressed  his  surprise 

414 


1886     VISITS    TO    CONNAUGHT    PLACE 

at  the  influence  which  Charles  Fox,  a  man  of  pleas- 
ure ruined  by  the  dice-box  and  the  turf,  had  exercised 
over  the  English  nation.  "  You  have  not,"  was  the  re- 
ply, "  been  under  the  wand  of  the  magician/'  It  was 
not  long  before  those  who  were  brought  into  close  com- 
munication with  Lord  Randolph  fell  under  his  magic 
spell.  I  confess  that  I,  at  that  time  Chairman  of  the 
Board  of  Inland  Eevenue,  was  as  much  dismayed  as  any 
man  at  the  prospect  of  his  becoming  Chancellor  of  the 
Exchequer.  I  was  soon  reconciled,  and  I  well  remember 
our  first  interview  in  the  old  historical  Board  Room  at 
the  Treasury,  the  stiff  and  formal  cut  of  his  frock-coat — 
the  same  that  he  always  wore  when  he  was  leader  of  the 
House — and  the  somewhat  old-world  courtesy  of  manner 
with  which  he  received  me  at  the  door.  But  it  was  not 
long  before  he  produced  the  new-world  cigarette-case 
and  the  long  mouth-piece,  which  so  soon  became  familiar. 
A  very  few  meetings  were  enough  to  show  me  how  sin- 
cerely anxious  he  was  to  learn  all  the  little  I  had  to 
teach;  and  from  that  first  hour  our  acquaintance  grad- 
ually ripened  into  a  friendship  which  not  all  the  vicissi- 
tudes of  his  stormy  life,  nor  even  his  agonizing  illness, 
ever  interrupted.  The  last  letter  he  wrote  before  he  left 
England  on  his  sad  journey  was  to  me.  In  it  he  spoke 
of  our  long  years  of  friendship,  of  his  return,  and  of 
years  to  come ;  but  the  handwriting  told  how  impossible 
that  return  and  those  future  years  were  to  be. 

Our  early  official  meetings  at  the  Treasury  were  soon 
superseded  by  more  intimate  conversations  at  Connaught 
Place.  On  my  first  visit  there  I  found  him  in  a  room 
bright  with  electric  light,  and  the  eternal  cigarette  in 
his  mouth.  He  was  seated  in  a  large  arm-chair  having  a 
roomy  sofa  on  one  side,  which  I  afterwards  learned  was 
known  in  the  family  as  the  "  Fourth  Party  sofa,"  and  on 
the  other,  much  to  my  surprise,  a  large  photograph  of 

415 


RECOLLECTIONS  1886 

Mr.  Gladstone.  Whether  the  photograph  and  the  sofa 
were  thus  placed  opposite  each  other  for  the  convenience 
of  the  party  in  rehearsing  their  attacks  I  do  not  take  it 
upon  me  to  say.  Although  Lord  Randolph  certainly  had 
never  made  a  study  of  finance,  he  was  not,  when  he  be- 
came Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer,  so  ignorant  of  it  as 
Charles  Fox,  if  the  story  be  true  which  reports  him  to 
have  said  that  he  never  could  understand  what  Consols 
were — he  knew  they  were  things  that  went  up  and  down 
in  the  City ;  and  he  was  always  pleased  when  they  went 
down,  because  it  so  annoyed  Pitt.  A  story  is  also  told 
of  Lord  Randolph,  that  a  Treasury  clerk  put  some  figures 
before  him.  "  I  wish  you  would  put  these  figures  plain- 
ly so  that  I  can  understand  them,"  he  said.  The  clerk 
said  he  had  done  his  best,  and  he  had,  pointing  them 
out,  reduced  them  to  decimals.  "  Oh  !"  said  Lord  Ran- 
dolph, "  I  never  could  understand  what  those  d  —  d  dots 
meant."  But  it  soon  became  clear  that  besides  a  won- 
derful intuition.  Lord  Randolph  possessed  many  of  the 
qualities  which  had  always  won  for  Mr.  Gladstone  so  high 
a  reputation  as  a  departmental  chief — indefatigable  as- 
siduity, that  energy  which  Dr.  Arnold  said  is  of  more 
value  than  even  cleverness,  a  vehement  determination  to 
learn  his  subject  ah  ovo  usqite  ad  mala,  a  strong  intel- 
lectual force,  which,  while  it  in  no  way  interfered  with 
his  attention  to  the  opinions  of  his  subordinates,  abso- 
lutely preserved  his  own  independence  of  judgment  and 
decision.  lie  possessed  the  very  rare  gift  of  keeping  his 
mind  exclusively  devoted  to  the  subject  in  hand,  and  im- 
pressed on  all  those  with  whom  he  worked  the  idea  that 
the  business  on  which  they  were  employed  was  the  only 
one  of  interest  to  him.  For  a  man  of  his  rapid  thought 
and  excitable  temperament  he  was  scrupulously  patient 
and  quiet  in  discussion;  and  from  frequent  conversations 
with  him  on  financial  subjects  I  can  safely  affirm  that  no 

416 


1886       LORD    RANDOLPH'S    BUDGET 

one  ever  ended  an  official  interview  with  him  withont 
at  any  rate  having  arrived  at  a  clear  knowledge  of  his 
views  and  intentions.  No  time  spent  with  him  was  ever 
wasted,  nor  would  he  suffer  any  interruption,  from  what- 
ever source  it  came. 

In  the  autumn  preceding  the  session  of  1887  he  knew 
that  the  duties  of  leadership  would  absorb  all  his  time 
and  strength,  and,  like  a  wise  and  prudent  statesman,  he 
prepared  liimself  for  his  financial  statement  by  a  per- 
formance such  as  was  never  equalled,  in  getting  ready 
and  passing  through  the  Cabinet  the  Budget  for  the 
forthcoming  year.  On  the  evening  of  the  day  on  which 
he  carried  his  Budget  through  the  Cabinet,  after  de- 
scribing to  me  how  he  had  done  so,  he  said:  ''There 
in  that  box  are  all  the  materials  of  our  Budget.  They 
are  unpolished  gems;  put  the  facets  on  them  as  well 
as  you  can,  but  do  not  speak  to  me  on  the  subject 
again  till  the  end  of  the  financial  year."  What  that  Bud- 
get was  cannot  yet  be  told;  but  it  may  be  fairly  said  that 
it  far  exceeded  in  importance  any  Budget  since  Mr.  Glad- 
stone's great  performance  in  18G0.  It  was  often  said  that 
Lord  Randolph  won  his  popularity  among  the  perma- 
nent officials  by  his  subservience  to  their  views.  Noth- 
ing could  be  further  from  the  truth;  and  when  some  day 
his  Budget  comes  to  light,  as  I  trust  it  will,  it  will  be 
seen  how  original  were  some  of  its  provisions,  and  how 
unlike  to  any  plans  that  would  probably  have  emanated 
from  the  ordinary  official  brain. 

From  the  very  commencement  of  his  career  as  Chan- 
cellor of  the  Exchequer,  Lord  Randolph  began  his  strug- 
gles for  economy,  his  love  for  which  was  sincere  and 
earnest.  He  determined  that  as  long  as  he  was  respon- 
sible for  the  finances  of  the  country  he  would  enforce  it. 
It  has  often  been  the  subject  of  discussion  whether  a 
man  who  is  careful  in  his  domestic  affairs  would  natural- 
3  d  417 


RECOLLECTIONS  188G 

ly  be  an  economist  in  public  affairs,  and  vice  versa.  No 
one  would  ever  have  accused  Lord  Randolph  of  being  a 
careful  or  even  a  prudent  man  in  the  management  of  his 
private  concerns,  but  his  ruling  idea  as  Chancellor  of  the 
Exchequer  was  for  economy. 

In  a  letter  he  wrote  to  me  shortly  after  his  resignation. 
Lord  Randolph  said:  "The  Budget  scheme  we  had  in 
contemplation  will  now  be  relegated  to  the  catalogue  of 
useless  labor.  The  essential  principle  of  any  financial 
policy  which  I  cared  to  be  identified  with  was  zeal  for 
thrift  and  economic  reform.  This  was  wanting,  and  the 
scaffolding  was  bound  to  come  down."  It  was  the  ex- 
travagance of  the  spending  department  that  induced  him 
to  write  that  fatal  letter  which  could  only  bring  about 
his  absolute  su^Dremacy  or  liis  resignation.  No  new  fancy 
it  was  that  dictated  it.  In  October,  1886,  he  had  said  that 
"unless  there  was  an  effort  to  reduce  the  expenditure  it 
was  impossible  that  he  could  remain  at  the  Exchequer.'* 
Again  he  said :  "  If  the  decision  of  the  Cabinet  as  to  the 
amount  of  the  Estimates  was  against  him,  he  should  not 
remain  in  office."  I  recollect  after  his  full  his  appealing 
to  me  and  saying  that  I  knew  his  resignation  was  not  the 
consequence  of  a  moment's  irritation,  but  was  from  his 
deliberate  determination  that  in  matters  financial  he 
would  be  supreme.     This  I  was  able  fully  to  endorse. 

On  December  20th,  ever  anxious  to  learn  all  he  could 
by  personal  study,  he  spent  nearly  three  hours  with  me 
at  Somerset  House,  seeing  for  himself  all  the  working  of 
that  huge  department.  The  following  day  he  went  to 
the  Custom  House,  and  that  same  afternoon  to  Wind- 
sor, where  he  wrote  the  letter  to  Lord  Salisbury  which 
has  since  become  historical,  threatening  his  resignation. 
On  the  evening  of  the  22d  he  walked  down  to  Printing 
House  Square  and  communicated  what  he  had  done  to 
the  editor  of  the  Times.     Then,  on  the  23d,  I  got  the 

418 


1886   LORD  RANDOLPH'S   RESIGNATION 

sad  and  startling  news  of  his  resignation.  In  a  note 
wliich  followed  close  upon  it,  his  secretary,  Mr.  A.  Moore, 
who  by  his  ability  and  devotion  had  contributed  so  much 
to  Lord  Randolph's  fame,  said :  "  I  have  really  not  the 
heart  to  write  anything.  Moreover,  there  is  nothing 
to  add  to  what  was  said  in  that  terribly  irregular  and 
premature  communique  to  the  Times.  I  look  upon  the 
whole  thing,  from  every  point  of  view — patriotic,  party, 
and  personal — as  simply  an  irreparable  calamity." 

It  is  strange  that  a  man  endowed  by  Nature  with  quick 
perception  should  not  have  seen  how  gladly  Lord  Salis- 
bury would  dispense  with  his  services,  or  should  have 
forgotten  Sir  Stafford  Northcote's  prophecy  and  hope  in 
1880,  that  a  conservative  cave  would  be  formed  on  the 
Liberal  side  with  Goschen  in  its  centre. 

So  Lord  RandoliDh  became  officially  dead,  and  a  cruel 
fate  has  made  him  one  of  the  great  might-have-beens  in 
the  financial  history  of  his  country,  for  the  triumph  and 
the  harvest  of  the  seed  he  had  sown  he  did  not  live  to 
see.  From  his  fall  to  his  tragic  end  he  bore  with  him  to 
the  grave  much  affection,  much  admiration,  and  many 
regrets  of  true  friends  and  political  opponents.  He  might 
have  used  the  words  put  into  the  mouth  of  the  unfortu- 
nate Queen  Mary  by  Schiller:  "  I  have  been  much  hated, 
but  I  have  been  much  beloved." 

Nothing,  I  am  sure,  is  more  curious  in  political  biog- 
raphy than  the  fascination  Lord  Randolph  Churchill 
possessed  over  his  political  opponents.  Notwithstanding 
his  exaggerated  invective,  Mr.  Gladstone  could  not  alto- 
gether resist  the  charm  and  sympathetic  genius  of  his 
younger  opponent.'    He  frankly  and  fully  admired  Lord 

'  The  friendly  personal  relations  that  prevailed  between  Mr. 
Gladstone  and  Lord  Randolph  Churchill  are  illustrated  by  an  inci- 
dent which  I  repeat  on  the  authority  of  an  eye-witness.  Mr.  Glad- 
stone was  replying  at  length  to  an  impeachment  of  the  Liberal 

419 


KECOLLECTIONS  1886 

Kandolph's  short  leadersliij)  of  the  House  of  Commons, 
his  insight,  and  his  dash  and  courage,  and  he  syinpathized 
with  liis  not  unsuccessful  struggles  over  his  beloved 
economy.  Modesty  is  not,  perliaps,  among  the  virtues 
attributed  to  Lord  Randolph;  but  there  was  some  far- 
off  touch  of  it  in  a  letter  he  wrote  to  me,  in  which  he 
says  :  "  I  am  not  so  conceited  as  to  suppose  that  Mr. 
Gladstone  could  care  for  or  even  notice  any  speech  of 
mine."  But  Mr.  Gladstone  did  notice  the  rising  man, 
and,  turning  to  a  colleague  on  the  occasion  of  one  of 
Lord  Randolph's  early  speeches,  he  said,  prophetically: 
"  That  is  a  young  man  you  will  have  to  reckon  Avith  one 
of  these  days."  They  met  several  times,  and  Mr.  Glad- 
stone often  spoke  in  warm  terms  about  the  power  Lord 
Randolph  possessed  of  making  himself  loved  and  re- 
spected by  the  various  heads  of  departments  in  which  he 
worked,  of  his  aptitude  for  learning,  of  liis  admirable  and 
courageous  work  towards  economy,  of  his  personal  cour- 
tesy and  liis  pre-eminent  qualities  as  a  host,  which  could 
not  be  exaggerated.  And  Lord  Randolph's  admiration 
for  Mr.  Gladstone  was  unbounded  and  sincere.  I  recol- 
lect on  one  occasion  when  Mr.  Gladstone  had  been  talk- 
ing after  dinner,  as  the  men  were  leaving  the  room.  Lord 
Randolph  said  to  a  Unionist  friend  :  ''And  that  is  the 
man  you  have  left !     How  could  you  have  done  it  ?" 


policy  by  Mr.  Biilfonr,  aud  Lord  Randolpli,  wlio  was  about  to  fol- 
low, was  in  a  slate  of  preparatory  fidget.  lie  had  a  glass  of  water 
sent  in,  at  sight  of  which  Mr.  Gladstone  stooped  and  whispered  to 
Sir  William  Ilarcourt,  obviously  declaring  his  need  for  similar 
refreshment.  Lord  Kandolph  immediately  rose,  proffered  his  un- 
tastcd  glass  across  the  table,  which  Mr.  Gladstone  graciously  ac- 
cepted, observing  with  genial  emphasis,  "  I  wish  that  the  noble  lord 
was  always  as  ready  to  drink  at  my  fountain-head  as  I  am  at  his,"  a 
remark  which  Jjord  Kand()l|)h  acknowledged  with  a  low  bow,  amid 
the  general  applause  of  the  House. 

420 


1886       GLADSTONE    AND    THE    BOEUS 

Dr.  Johnson  said:  ''"When  I  was  beginning  the  worh"! 
and  was  nobody  and  nothhig,  the  joy  of  my  life  was  to 
fire  at  all  the  established  wits,  and  then  everybody  loved 
to  halloo  me  on."  Disraeli  followed  the  great  Doctor's 
example  in  his  attacks  on  Peel ;  and  Lord  Eandolph, 
probably  with  similar  motives,  attacked  Mr.  Gladstone 
with  an  exaggeration  we  now  all  deplore.  But  if  Lord 
Eandolph  was  violent  and  even  nnscrnpulous  at  times  in 
his  attacks,  when  a  conviction  came  to  him  that  he  had 
been  mistaken  he  was  generous  in  acknowledging  it.  In 
language  of  real  eloquence  he  had  denounced  the  policy 
of  Mr.  Gladstone's  government  in  the  Transvaal.  But 
when  years  afterwards  he  was  face  to  face  with  the  facts 
on  the  spot,  he  wrote  a  letter  to  a  London  newspaper 
which  attracted  great  attention  at  the  time,  and  which 
contained  a  retractation  of  the  rash  judgment  he  had 
pronounced,  so  complete  and  at  the  same  time  so  judi- 
cious that  it  is  well  worthy  of  being  remembered  at  the 
present  critical  juncture  in  our  relations  with  that  Ke- 
public. 

"  The  surrender  of  the  Transvaal  [he  wrote]  and  the 
peace  concluded  by  Mr.  Gladstone  with  the  victors  of 
Majuba  Hill,  were  at  the  time,  and  still  are,  the  object 
of  sharp  criticism  and  bitter  denunciation  from  many 
politicians  at  home,  quorum  pars  parva  fui.  Better  and 
more  precise  information,  combined  with  cool  reflection, 
leads  me  to  the  conclusion  that  had  the  British  govern- 
ment of  that  day  taken  advantage  of  its  strong  military 
position  and  annihilated,  as  it  could  easily  have  done, 
the  Boer  forces,  it  would  indeed  have  regained  the  Trans- 
vaal, but  it  would  have  lost  Cape  Colony.  .  .  .  The 
actual  magnanimity  of  the  peace  with  the  Boers  con- 
cluded by  Mr.  Gladstone's  Ministry  after  two  humiliat- 
ing military  reverses  suffered  by  the  arms  under  their 
control,  became  plainly  apparent  to  the  just  and  sensible 

421 


RECOLLECTIONS  1886 

mind  of  the  Dutch  Cape  Colonist,  atoned  for  much  of 
past  grievance,  and  demonstrated  the  total  absence  in 
the  English  mind  of  any  hostility  or  unfriendliness  to 
the  Dutch  race.  Concord  between  Dutch  and  English 
in  the  colony  from  that  moment  became  possible." 

A  retractation  so  generous  and  hearty  as  this  covers  a 
multitude  of  rash  vituperations. 

In  his  strongest  political  animosities  Lord  Randolph 
ever  retained  his  sense  of  humor.  Indeed,  I  should  have 
thought  that  no  one  could  ever  have  doubted  his  sense  of 
humor ;  yet  in  the  obituary  notice  in  one  of  the  leading 
papers  it  was  said  he  was  totally  devoid  of  it.  Not  only 
had  he  a  sense  of  humor,  but  he  is  one  of  the  few  parlia- 
mentarians who  have  left  sayings  that  have  become  pro- 
verbial. The  elder  of  his  colleagues  were  known  as  "the 
old  gang";  the  Unionists  as  the  ''crutch  of  the  Tory 
party."  His  was  the  mint  from  which  came  "  the  medi- 
ocrities with  double  names,"  "the  old  man  in  a  hurry," 
"  the  duty  of  an  opposition  is  to  oppose,"  and  many 
more. 

It  seems  a  paradox  in  God's  providence  that  a  man  of 
genius,  great  talent,  and  splendid  promise  should  in  the 
prime  of  his  life  have  been  stricken  down  by  a  disease 
which  appears  cruel  to  us  who  see  only  through  a  glass 
darkly.  But  as  the  late  Cardinal  Manning  finely  said  : 
"As  in  a  piece  of  tapestry,  where  on  one  side  all  is  a 
confused  and  tangled  mass  of  knots,  and  on  the  other  a 
beautiful  picture,  so  from  the  everlasting  hills  will  this 
earthly  life  appear  not  the  vain  and  chanceful  thing  men 
deem  it  here,  but  a  perfect  plan  guided  by  a  Divine  hand 
unto  a  perfect  end." 

When  present  at  his  funeral  service  in  the  Abbey,  I 
could  not  but  think  sadly  of  what  he  many  times  said 
humorously  :  "  Mr.  Gladstone  will  long  outlive  me  ;  and 
I  often  tell  my  wife  what  a  beautiful  letter  he  will  write 

433 


1886     MR.    GLADSTONE    x\T    GUILDFORD 

on  my  deiitli,  proposing  my  burial  in  Westminster  Abbey." 
I  cannot  better  conclude  this  inadequate  sketch  than  by 
quoting  the  words  used  by  Mr.  Gladstone  in  writing  to 
his  poor  mother : 

"  You  followed  your  son  at  every  step  with,  if  possible, 
more  than  a  mother's  love  ;  and,  on  the  other  hand,  in 
addition  to  his  conspicuous  talents,  he  had  gifts  which 
greatly  tended  to  attach  to  him  those  with  whom  he  was 
brought  into  contact.  For  my  own  share,  I  received 
many  marks  of  his  courtesy  and  kindness,  and  I  have 
only  agreeable  recollections  of  him  to  cherish." 

Early  in  August,  1886,  my  wife  and  daughter  went  into 
Guildford  to  meet  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gladstone,  who  had 
driven  over  from  the  Wolvertous  at  Coombe.  They  had 
tea  at  the  Guildford  Club,  where  they  were  discovered 
and  much  cheered ;  they  then  came  on  to  Wanborough, 
John  Morley  arriving,  with  Welby,  for  dinner. 

Mr.  Gladstone  was  in  good  spirits,  saying  good  finance 
consisted  more  in  the  spending  than  the  collecting  of 
revenue.  As  John  Morley  went  away  he  said  :  "I  won- 
der if  I  should  not  have  been  happier  writing  obscure 
philosophical  works  which  nobody  would  read  on  the 
Hog's  Back  than  leading  a  political  life."  He  had  once 
lived  there  in  a  little  house  which  belonged  to  my  uncle, 
Mr.  Long.  It  was  then  called  Long's  Hotel,  but  when 
John  Morley  took  it  its  name  was  changed  into  Morley's 
Hotel. 

The  next  day  my  wife  took  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gladstone  to 
a  party  at  Puttenham  Priory,  and  on  my  return  from 
London  Mr.  Gladstone  and  I  walked,  and  talked  to  the 
old  bailiff  Callingham  of  his  early  days — wheat  4os.,  sugar 
16d.,  no  meat,  and  wages  '7s.  a  week.  And  on  this  he 
married  and  throve  ! 

While  at  Wanborough,  Mr.  Gladstone  wrote  his  fare- 
well address  on  leaving  office,  in  the  little  yellow  dressing- 

423 


RECOLLECTIONS  1886 

room.  He  said  at  last  everybody  was  now  for  Home 
llule  in  some  form  or  another.  If  Parnell  would  accept 
a  Parliament  in  Dublin,  subject  to  a  Parliament  in  Eng- 
land, it  might  lead  to  an  agreement. 

"We  played  whist  in  the  evening,  and  the  next  day 
■\Velby  and  I,  who  had  spent  the  day  in  London  at  our 
respective  offices,  came  down  in  the  evening  and  rode 
over  to  meet  my  wife  and  the  Gladstones  at  Busbridge — 
where  Ellis  Gosling  lived  with  his  motlier,  Mrs.  liamsden 
— coming  back  by  Elstead,  where  John  Morley  was  staying. 

On  our  return  a  deputation  from  Guildford,  with  a 
sketch  of  the  town  and  an  address,  was  awaiting  us. 
Mr.  Gladstone,  who  I  supposed  thought  of  the  saying, 
mox  adorant  mox  lapidant,  was  annoyed,  and  would  not 
see  them  at  first,  so  my  daughter  had  to  receive  them 
and  make  excuses ;  but  at  last  Mr.  Gladstone  was  per- 
suaded to  say  a  few  words,  which  sent  them  away  re- 
joicing. 

Arnold  Morley  came  the  following  day,  on  which  Mr. 
Ghidstone  planted  a  golden  yew,  and  Mrs.  Gladstone  an 
arhor  vifce,  on  the  lawn,  which  I  am  happy  to  say  are 
fl.onrishing  to  this  day. 

As  Parliament  was  still  sitting,  I  had  to  stay  in  Lon- 
don till  September  25th,  when  Horace  and  I  started  for 
the  Italian  lakes,  stopping  at  Lucerne,  Baveno,  Milan, 
Caddenabbia,  which  Ave  thought  lovely;  then  Mihxn, 
again  Verona,  and  Venice,  in  which  we  were  much  dis- 
appointed, as  it  rained  nearly  all  the  time,  and  Horace  de- 
scribed our  gondola  journeys  as  if  we  were  going  about 
the  sewers  in  a  hearse  all  day.  This  was,  no  doubt,  a 
libel;  but  we  were  so  depressed  that  we  beat  a  hasty 
retreat,  and  went  to  Bologna  and  Florence,  which  we 
loved.  ^ 

While  at  Hayes,  where  we  went  after  our  return,  we 
heard  of  George  Barrington's  death.     He  was  very  good- 

434 


1886     STORIES    OF    CJIARLES    GREVILLE 

looking,  very  agreeable,  and  very  popular,  cnltivating 
with  great  success  the  pleasant  role  of  a  cosmopolitan — 
getting  all  the  best  he  could  out  of  society  of  all  nations 
and  men  of  every  shade  of  politics,  though  he  was  a 
Tory,  associated  in  confidential  relations  with  Lord  Bea- 
consfield.  His  death  made  another  gap  in  the  fast  di- 
minishing number  of  the  dandies  of  St.  James's  Street. 
On  November  12th  I  went  with  many  of  his  friends  to 
his  funeral  at  Beckett. 

On  November  16th  I  went  to  Windsor  for  my  investi- 
ture as  a  Knight  Commander  of  the  Bath,  Henry  Pon- 
sonby  kindly  giving  General  St.  George  Foley  and  my- 
self a  little  rehearsal  of  the  ceremony  before  we  were 
ushered  into  Her  Majesty's  presence. 

On  the  35tli  Lord  Granville  and  Sir  George  Dasent 
came  to  dinner  unexpectedly.  I  fetched  the  Ribbles- 
dales  and  the  Beerbohm  Trees — who  were  at  the  Hay- 
market — to  tea,  and  had  a  most  successful  evening. 

Lord  Granville  was  full  of  anecdotes,  which  he  al- 
ways delivered  in  the  most  charming  Avay.  Some  were 
of  Charles  Greville's  grumpiness. 

Dining  one  night  at  Baron  Rothschild's,  he  was  asked 
to  take  in  Lady . 

"  Certainly  not,"  he  said ;  "  I  hardly  know  if  I  can 
take  myself  in." 

Another  evening,  when  sitting  next  to  a  pretty  woman, 
he  complained  of  not  knowing  anybody. 

''But  you  know  me,"  she  said.     "I  am  Mrs.  ." 

"  That  does  not  make  me  any  the  wiser,"  he  grunted. 

Madame ,  discussing  French  and  English  mar- 
riages, said  to  her  neighbor,  who  preferred  the  English 
custom  : 

"  But  would  you  not  like  to  have  the  first  love  of  your 
wife  ?" 

"  I  should  prefer  the  last,"  he  said. 

425 


RECOLLECTIONS  1886 

Tu  December,  on  the  evening  of  the  15th,  I  made  my 
first  public  speech  at  a  Civil  Service  dinner,  and  was 
vain  enongli  to  be  pleased  with  it. 

On  entering  the  llolborn  Restaurant,  where  our  dinner 
was  to  take  place,  I  was  met  by  Mr,  Ralston,  the  Rus- 
sian scholar,  with  whom  I  had  a  slight  acquaintance. 
He  told  me  he  was  to  propose  the  toast  to  which  I  was 
to  reply,  and  kindly  suggested  that  I  might  tell  him  how 
I  proposed  to  begin  and  he  would  work  up  to  it.  I  was 
much  pleased  until  he  rose  and  from  forgetfulness,  I 
suppose,  took  the  sentence  I  had  told  him,  word  for 
word,  leaving  me  at  the  last  moment  to  find  a  new  be- 
ginning to  my  speech.  I  forgave  him  more  readily  for 
some  excellent  stories  he  told  us  of  his  travels  in  Rus- 
sia. On  one  occasion  he  met  a  body  of  miserable  peas- 
ants, many  of  them  handcuffed,  being  driven  along  the 
road  like  cattle  by  soldiers.  ''  Who  are  these  prisoners  ?" 
he  asked  of  the  officer.  "  Prisoners !"  said  the  officer, 
"these  are  not  prisoners — they  are  volunteers  hastening 
to  the  front." 

And  now  my  pen  must  be  laid  aside  for  a  time.  Vol- 
taire it  is,  I  think,  who  propounds  the  axiom  that  a  man 
who  says  all  he  has  got  to  say  must  be  a  fool.  I  luive 
not  said  all  I  have  got  to  say,  but  it  does  not  follow  that 
I  am  not  a  fool,  for  I  may  have  written  nothing  which  is 
worth  the  reading. 

When  a  private  secretary,  I  avoided,  on  principle, 
keeping  any  diaries,  for  I  held  that  the  secrets  that 
necessarily  came  in  my  Avay  were  not  my  secrets,  and 
should  never  be  disclosed  through  any  instrumentality  of 
mine.  I  hope  that  no  indiscretions  have  crept  into  this 
volume  I  trust,  too,  that  in  them  will  be  found  noth- 
ing that  can  cause  pain  to  any  living  soul,  although  I 
fear  on  that  account  they  will  be  thought  lacking  in 
novelty  and  piquancy.     They  tell  of  many  things  and  of 

426 


1886  L'ENVOI 

many  people  of  whom  the  existing  generation  knows 
little,  whose  names  they  may  have  heard  and  that  is  all. 
But  to  those  of  an  older  time  there  may  arise  from  the 
reading  of  these  pages  old  familiar  faces,  old-fashioned 
customs  which  are  out  of  date,  and  places  which  were 
dear  to  them  in  their  youth. 

Old  stories  may  recall  the  happy  times  when  they  were 
told,  amid  laughter  and  merriment,  by  friends  long  for- 
gotten to  friends  long  dead.  Their  brilliance  passes  in 
the  telling,  and  cannot  return  in  its  perfection,  but  the 
echo  may  awaken  some  recollections  of  a  time  when  we 
also  basked  in  the  glorious  sunshine  of  youth  before  fail- 
ures and  disappointments  and  sorrows  came  upon  us. 


INDEX 


Abel,  Sir  Frederick,  270. 

Abercorn,  Duke  of,  261. 

Aberdare,    Lord,   346,   373  {see  also 

Bruce,  H.  A.). 
Aberdeen,   Lord,  8,  54,  55,  68,  71, 

118,  152,  248,  347,  362,  396. 
Abinger,  Lord,  8,  9. 
Acton,  Lord,  344,  345. 
Adam,  Willie,  295. 
Adams,  General,  82. 
Airey,  General,  101. 
Airey,  Sir  George,  58. 
Airlie,  Lord,  33. 
Albany,  Duke  of,  345. 
Albera'arle,  Earl  of,  47,  48,  58,  152, 

178. 
Albert,  Prince,  22,  38,  51,  146,  181. 
Alboni,  60. 
Alcester,  Lord,  47. 
Alcock,  Mr.,  44. 
Allison,  Mr.,  111. 
Allport,  Sir  James,  397. 
Althorp,  Lord,  247,  259. 
Alvanley,  Lord,  50,  140,  372,  390. 
Ampthill,  Lord,  358. 
Anderson  (a  lieutenant  of  the  "  Sans- 

pareil"),  105. 
Anglesey,  Lord,  38,  49,  72,  73,  156. 
Anson,  General,  119. 
Anson,  Mrs.,  171. 
Appleton  (office-keeper  in  Downing 

Street),  233. 
Archdeacon,  M.,  386. 
Argyll,  Duke  of,  207,  335. 
Armitstead,  Mr.,  387. 
Arnold,  Dr.,  184,416. 
Arnold,  Sir  Arthur,  211. 


Ashburnham,  General  Tonj,  1 67, 239. 

Ashburnham,  Lord,  377. 

Ashburton,  Lady,  54. 

Ashley,  Evelyn,  180. 

Ashley,  Lord,  156. 

Ashley,  William,  199. 

Asquith,  Mr.,  253,  7iote. 

Auckland,  Lord  (and  Bishop  of  So- 

dor  and  Man),  34. 
Aylesbury,  Lady,  409. 
Ayrton,  Mr.,  243,  270. 

Bacon,  Lord,  253. 

Bagehot,  Mr.,  249. 

Balfour,  A.  J.,  393. 

Ballantine,  Sergeant,  239. 

Banderet,  Mr.,  50. 

Baring,  Evelyn,  344,  357. 

Baring,  Francis,  103,  366. 

Baring,  Lady  Emma,  325,  377. 

Baring,  Sir  Francis,  8. 

Baring,  T.  G.   (see  Northbrook,  the 

present  Lord). 
Barnard,  General,  111,  119. 
Barnard,  Willie,  111. 
Barrington,  Charles,  211,  276. 
Barrington,  Hon.  George,  159,  263, 

275,  424. 
Barrington,  Lady  Caroline,  159,  160, 

162,  171,  205,  221,  240,  275. 
Barrington,  Lord,  150,  198,  199. 
Barrington,  Miss  Mary,  159  sqq. 
Barry,  Judge,  306. 
Bartiett,  Ashmead,  353. 
Bath,  Lord,  286. 
Bathe,  Sir  Henry  de,  107. 
Bathurst,  Lady  Georgiana,  272. 


439 


INDEX 


Biittersea,  Lord,  1*70. 

Beaconsfield,  Lord,    230,  252,   261, 

282,  283,  284,  296,  317,  398,  425 

(see  also  Disraeli,  Beujamin). 
Reatson,  General,  111. 
Beauclerk,  Lady  Diana,  161. 
Bedford,  Duchess  of,  13. 
Bedford,  Paul,  154. 
Beiram,  Pasha  (General  Cannon),  97. 
Bent,  Rev.  — ,  32. 
Bentinck,  General,  80. 
Ben  thick,  Lord  George,  160,  341. 
Bernstorff,  Count,  227. 
Berry,  Misses,  7,  53,  204,  262. 
Bertie,  Captain,  47. 
Bessborough,  Lord,  170,  224. 
Bethell,  Sir  R.  (see  Westbury,  Lord). 
Biddiilph,  Sir  Thomas,  265. 
Bidvvell,  John,  14,  15. 
Bidwell,  Jr.,  John,  16,  17. 
Bismarck,  Herbert,  355. 
Blackburn,  William,  15,  47,  49. 
Blackett,  Mr.  (editor  of  the  Globe),  67. 
Blackwood,  Sir  Arthur,  31  and  «o/e, 

33,  66,  104,  107. 
Blessington,  Lady,  49,  147,  204. 
Bloomer,  Mrs.,  59. 
Boucicault,  Dion,  279. 
Bouverie,  Edward,  11. 
Bovill,  Sir  William,  238,  239. 
Boyle,  Miss  Mary,  148. 
Bradford,  Lady,  148. 
Bradford,  Lord,  148. 
Bramwell,  Lord,  9,  268. 
Brand,  Mr.  (Speaker  of  the  House  of 

Commons),  241. 
Brassey,  Lord,  396. 
Brett,  Reggie,  376. 
Bright,  John,  49,  71,  155,  188,  195, 

220,  250,  285,  296,  336,  346,  353, 

393,  400,  403. 
Brookficld,  Rev.  W-  H.,  62,  262. 
Brougham,   Lord,  10,  14,  204,   205, 

278,  335,  389. 
Broughton,  Lord,  61. 
Brown,  Sir  George,  108. 
Browning,  Robert,  263,  352,  353. 
Brownlow,  Sir  Charles,  373,  375. 
Bruce,  Henry  Austin,  218,  219,  238 

{see  also  Aberdare,  Lord). 


Brummell,  Beau,  262,  389. 

Buckingham,  Duke  of,  261. 

Buckle,  Mr.  (editor  of  the  Times), 
359. 

Buckley,  Alfred,  77,  120,  122. 

Buggin,  Lady  Cecilia,  170. 

BuUer,  Charles,  54. 

Bulwer,  Sir  Henry,  235  (see  a/so  Bal- 
ling, Lord). 

Bulwer-Lytton,  Sir  E.,  157,  236. 

Buol,  Count,  85. 

Burke,  Edmund,  251. 

Burke,  Mr.,  303. 

Burnaby,  Captain,  362. 

Burnaby,  Edwvn,  58. 

Burnaby,  E.  S",  83,  100,  102,  107. 

Burns,  Walter,  386. 

Burton,  Plunkett,  100. 

Burv,  Lord  (see  Albemarle,  Earl  of). 

Byn'g,  Frederick,  77,  79,  166,  174. 

Byng,  George,  79,  160. 

Byron,  Lord,  2,  6,  50. 

Cadogan,  Arthur,  131. 

Cadogan,  Frederick,  84,  87,  90,  91, 

94,  108,  111,  113,  156. 
Cadogan,  Lady  Adelaide,  144,  178, 

205. 
Cadogan,  Lord,  66,  363. 
Cairns,  Lord,  215,  363. 
Calcraft,  Henry,  48,  236,  287. 
Callander,    Miss    (afterwards    Lady 

Graham),  55. 
Cambridge,  Duke  of,  22,  148. 
Campbell,  John  (of  Islav),  78. 
Campbell,  Sir  George,  232. 
Campbell,  Sir  John  (afterwardsLord), 

9,  10,  21. 
Canning,  Ladv,  119,  182,  183. 
Canning,  Lord,    122,  157,  182  sqq., 

247. 
Cannon,  General,  97. 
Canrobert,  General,  99. 
Cantacuzene,  Count,  93. 
Canterbury,  Archbishop  of,  180,  278. 
Capel,  Reginald,  342. 
Cardigan,  Lord,  27,  75,  141. 
Cardwell,  Lord,  55,  229,  396. 
Carlisle,  Bishop  of,  351. 
Carlisle,  Lord,  78,  167. 


430 


INDEX 


Carlyle,  54,  263,  353. 
Carmichael,  Mr.,  409. 
Carnarvon,  Lord,  32,  41,  148,  198, 

388,  405. 
Caroline,  Queen,  72. 
Carrel,  Armand,  67. 
Carrington,  Lord,  22,  23,  281. 
Carter,  Canon,  5. 
Cartwright  (dentist),  18. 
Castlereaj^h,  Lord,  255,  371. 
Cathcart,  Lord,  375. 
Cavendish,  Colonel,  163. 
Cavendish,  Lady  Emily,  163,  172. 
Cavendish,  Lady  Frederick,  326. 
Cavendish,  Lord  Frederick,  264, 303, 

315,  324-326. 
Cavendish,  Lord  George,  169. 
Cavendish,  Lord  Richard,  185. 
Cavour,  Count,  172. 
Celeste,  Madame,  154. 
Cerito,  60,  154. 
Cetewayo,  356. 
Chamberlain,  Mr.,  252,  253  note,  317, 

372,  392,  393,  395,  398,  400,  401, 

405,  406,  408. 
Chambers,  Sir  William,  12. 
Charles  L,  378. 
Chatham,  Lord,  328. 
Chavannes  de  Chartel,  115. 
Chesham,  Lord,  186. 
Chesterfield,  Lady,  148. 
Chesterfield,  Lord,  261. 
Chetwode,  107. 
Childers,  Mr.,  329,  361,  378,  379,  380, 

387,  393,  395. 
Chitty,  Lord  Justice,  32. 
Christian,  Prince,  275. 
Christian,  Princess,  198. 
Christie,    Captain   (of    the    Orient), 

108. 
Churchill,  Colonel,  2. 
Churchill,  General,  2. 
Churchill,  Lord  Randolph,  253,  328, 

329,  345,  351,  388,  408,  412  sqq. 
Clanwilliam,  Lord,  53. 
Clarendon,  Lady,  117,  142. 
Clarendon,  Lord,   57,   65,  117,   120, 

144,  166,  198,  224,  249,  347. 
Clark,  Sir  Andrew,  332,  357. 
Clarke,  Mrs.  Stanley,  314,  320,  373. 


Clay,  Mr.  James,  64. 
Cleveland,  Duchess  of,  14,  149. 
Clifford,  Captain  (of  the   Centaur), 

126,  127. 
Clifford,  Charles,  354. 
Clive,  Mrs.,  281. 

Cobden,  Richard,  40,  155,  173,  188. 
Cobham,  Lord,  2. 
Cockburn,  Sir  Alexander,  223,  224, 

411. 
Cockerell,  Andrew,  338. 
Cohen,  Mr.,  387. 
Collier,  Sir  Robert,  243,  244. 
Collins,  Wilkie,  236. 
Colquhoun,   Mr.  (English  Consul  at 

Bucharest),  90,  92. 
Compton,  Lady,  398. 
Connaught,  Duchess  of,  290. 
Connaught,  Duke  of,  275,  290. 
Conyngham,  Mr.,  16. 
Cook,  Mr.  (editor   of  the  Saturday 

Review),  278. 
Cooke,  T.  P.,  153. 
Corbett,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  138. 
Cornwall  is,  Lord,  68. 
Corry,  Henry,  148. 
Corry,  Monty,  148,  274. 
Cottenham,  Lord,  10. 
Courtenay,  Frank,  16. 
Courtney,  Mr.,  368,  369. 
Couivoisier  (the  murderer  of  Lord 

William  Russell),  27. 
Cowen,  Joseph,  405. 
Cowley,  Lord,  48. 
Cowper,  Henry,  353,  355. 
Cranborne,  Lord,  198. 
Cranworth,  Lord,  8,  188. 
Ci'aven,  George,  11. 
Craven,  Lady,  56. 
Crawford,  Miss,  345. 
Croker,  J.  W.,  121,  280,  371,  372. 
Croker,  Mrs.,  280. 
Cromwell,  259,  378. 
Cruvelli,  60,  154. 
Currie,  Bertram,  356. 
Currie,  Lord,  33. 
Currie,  Sir  Donald,  330,  331,   337, 

411. 
Curzon,  Leicester,  99,  107. 
Czar,  the,  154,  337,  338. 


431 


INDEX 


Dai.housik,  Lord,  122,  182,  256,  332, 
334,  355,  409. 

Dalkeith,  Lord,  41. 

Dalliug,  Lord,  63,  235. 

Darner,  Colonel,  139,  140. 

Damer,  Dawson,  112. 

Danier,  Miss  Constance,  139. 

Damer,  Mrs.,  140. 

Damer,  Mrs.  Dawson,  178. 

Damer,  Seymour,  109,  111,  113. 

Dante,  378. 

Dasent,  Sir  George,  346,  355,  425. 

Davitt,  Mr.,  360. 

Dawson,  Colonel,  81,  83. 

De  Grev,  Ladv,  198,  217. 

De  Grev,  Lord  (1),  178,  192,  193. 

De  Grev,  Lord  (2),  266. 

De  Redcliffe,  Lord  Stratford,  200. 

Deacon,  Mr.  (Admiralty  agent), 
138 

Delane,  John,  151,  152,  360. 

Delawarr,  Lord,  22. 

Denison,  Mr.,  241. 

Denison,  Mr.  Beckett,  39. 

Denmark,  King  of,  337,  338. 

Derby,  Lord,  64,  68,  118,  157,  173, 
190,  197,  204,  342,  396. 

Derry,  Bishop  of,  377. 

Devev,  Mr.,  214,  275,  349,  398. 

Devonshire,  Fifth  Duke  of,  169. 

Dew,  Lieutenant  Roderick,  126. 

Dickens,  Charles,  49,  61,  122,  186, 
287. 

Dickinson,  Miss,  174. 

Dilke,  Sir  Charles,  326,  343,  372,  379, 
387. 

Di.^raeli,  Benjamin,  31, 43-44, 50,  52, 
64,  67,  118,  146,  149,  152,  157, 
173,  183,  187,  188,  190,  198,  199, 
241,  248,  253,  277,  342,  360,  405, 
421  (see  also  Beaconsfield,  Lord). 

Doche,  Madame,  154. 

Dodds,  Mr.,  315. 

Dodson,  Mr.,  34,  119,  286. 

Dove  (the  murderer),  141. 

Dowse,  Baron,  65. 

Doyle,  Dicky,  152,  266. 

Dovle,  Sir  Francis,  227. 

Drew,  Mr.,  393. 

Drummond,  Hughy,  110,  112,  128. 


Drummond,  Maurice,  17,  67. 
Dudley,  Lord,  60,  154. 
Duff,  Sir  M.  E.  Grant,  119. 
Duff-Gordon,  Sir  Alexander,  244. 
Dufferin,  Ladv,  216,  365. 
Dufferin,  Lord,  21,  55,  133,  178,  222, 

223,  240,  364,  365. 
Dundas,  Sir  David,  10,  33,  34,  76,  77, 

123,  228. 
Dunkellin,  Lord,  195. 
Dunmore,  Lord,  217. 
Durham,  Lady,  172. 
Durham,  Lord,  163. 
Dwight,  Mr.,  44. 

Earle,  General,  376. 

Earle,  Mr,,  149. 

East  wick,  Captain,  184. 

Ebury,  Lord,  66,  78,  84,  203. 

Eden,  Admiral,  167. 

Eden,  Sir  Ashley,  396. 

Edinburgh,  Duke  of,  275,  325. 

Egerton,  Frank,  352. 

Egerton,  Lady  Louisa,  326,  352. 

Eglinton,  Lord,  154. 

Elcho,  Lord,  175. 

Eldon,  Lord,  190. 

Elgin,  Lord,  55,  119,  155,  182,  183. 

Eliot,  George,  281. 

Ellenborough,  Lord,  43. 

Ellesmere,  Lord,  75. 

Eilice,  Edward,  162. 

Elliot,  Alec,  105. 

Elliot,  Arthur,  355. 

Elliot,  Captain,  125. 

Elliot,  George,  64. 

Elliot,  Henry,  85. 

Ellison,  Cuddie,  107. 

Ellsler,  Fanny,  154. 

Encquest,    Mr.    (English    Consul  at 

Wisbv),  134. 
Enfield,  Lord,  152. 
Essex,  Geoffrey  de  Mandeville,  Earl 

of,  323. 
Essex,    Lord,    65,    203,    269,    342, 

343. 
Eugene  of  Savoy,  Prince,  174. 
Eugenie,  Ex-Empress,  148. 
Evans,  Sir  de  Lacy,  11,  103,  118. 
Eyre,  Governor,  190. 


433 


INDEX 


Fane,  Julian,  263. 
Fane,  Lady  Rose,  85. 
Fanshawe,  The  Misses,  6,  1. 
Farier,  Loid,  49. 
Faweett,  H.,  364. 
Fechtcr,  154. 
Ferraud,  Mr.  Busfield,  25. 
ffolkes,  Sir  Martin,  2. 
FitzClarence,  Lord  Adolphus,  47. 
Fitzherbert,  Mrs.,  140. 
Fitzwilliam,  Lady,  169,  lYO. 
Fitzwilliam,  Lady  Charlotte,  lYO. 
Fitzwilliam,  Lord,  169,  lYO. 
Flahault,  Madame  de,  55,  56. 
Fleming,  Mr.  (Secretary  to  the  Poor 

Law  Board),  54,  389,  390. 
Foley,  General  St.  George,  425. 
Forrestei',  Cecil,  47. 
Forster,  Mr.,  224,  241,  277,  284,  300 

sqq.,  303-308  sqq.,  324,  326,  335, 

348,  377. 
Fortescue,  Chichester,  119. 
Fowler,  Mr.  (Secretary  to  the  Treas- 

nrv),  396. 
Fox,'Charles  James,  161,  240,  415, 

416. 
Fox,  General,  163. 
Fox,  George  Lane,  25,  26. 
Freemantle,  Sir  Charles,  33. 
Frere,  Hookham,  414. 
Frost,  Mr.  (a  Newport  magistrate), 

28,  29. 
Froude,  273,  353. 

Galloway,  Lord,  69. 

Gardner,  Lord,  49. 

Garfield,  Mrs.,  370. 

Garibaldi,  186,  321. 

Gaskell,  Milnes,  247. 

Gathorne  Hardy,  Mr.,  197. 

George  IV.,  140, 190. 

Ghika,  Prince  A.,  93. 

Gibson,  Milner,  155,  157. 

Gipps,  Sir  Reginald,  376. 

Gladstone,  Herbert,  293,  331,  334, 

336,  337,  387,  388,  397,  402. 
Glad.stone,  Miss  C,  331. 
Gladstone,  Miss  Mary,  331,  393. 
Gladstone,  Mr.,  2,  30,  35,  39,  52,  53, 

55,  58,  64,  68,  71,  157,  168,  173, 


178,  182,  195,  203,  204,  205  sqq., 
208,  209,  211  sqq.,  2.20  sqq.,  224 
sqq.,  231  sqq.,  235,  236,  238  sqq., 
241,  243  sqq.,  247-260,  269  sqq., 
273,  277,  278,  280  sqq.,  289,  290, 
293  sqq.,  297  sqq.,  310  sqq.,  316, 
324,  326  sqq.,  334  sqq.,  338,  341 
sqq.,  344  sqq.,  347  sqq.,  355,  356 
sqq.,  359,  360,  361  s^^.,  364,  365 
sqq.,  372,  376  sqq.,  382  .iqq.,  387, 
389,  391  sqq.,  395,  397  sqq.,  403, 
404,  405  sqq.,  411,  413,  416,  417, 
419  sqq.,  423  sqq. 

Gladstone,  Mrs.,  206,  220,  247,  268, 
281,  315,  326,  331,  334,  344,345, 
349,  401,  424. 

Glasse,  Captain,  123,  124,  125,  128. 

Gleichen,  Count,  91. 

Glyn,  George,  170, 179, 188, 199, 213, 
216,  222,  235,  243,  269  note  {see 
also  Wolyerton,  Lord). 

Glyn,  G.  C,  224. 

Glyn,  Lieutenant,  91. 

Glyn,  Richard,  100,  107. 

Glyn,  St.  Leger,  100,  152,  153. 

Goderich,  Lord,  76. 

Godley,  Sir  Arthur,  253. 

Goode  (the  murderer),  27. 

Gordon,  Assistant  Adjutant-General, 
105. 

Gordon,  Commander,  127,  128. 

Gordon,  General,  343,  344,  358,  372, 
376,  378,  379. 

Gordon,  Georgie,  103. 

Gordon,  Lady  Augusta,  66,  171. 

Gordon,  Lady  William,  12. 

Gordon,  Osborne,  41. 

Gordon,  Sir  Arthur,  331,  333. 

Gore,  Charles,  146,  170. 

Gosehen,  Mr.,  68,  195,  257,  295,  296, 
346,  348,  366,  377,  405,  419. 

Gosling,  Ellis,  424. 

Gosling,  Mr.,  336,  337,  351. 

Gough,  Sir  Hugh,  21. 

Goulburn,  Mr.,  30,  342. 

Gower,  Frederick  Leveson-,  341-42, 
346. 

Graham,  Lady,  70,  71,  360,  361. 

Graham,  Major,  29. 

Graham,  Malise,  70. 


2e 


433 


INDEX 


Graham,  Mr.  (balloonist),  59. 

Graliam,  Sir  Frederick,  70,  360. 

Graliam,  8ir  James,  29,  30,  40,  44, 
65,  G8,  118,  134,  182. 

Graham,  Stanley,  111. 

Grahn,  Lucille,  00. 

(iranby,  Lord,  59. 

Grant,  Miss  (afterwards  wife  of  Sheri- 
dan), C9. 

Grantham,  Lord,  342. 

Granville,  Lady,  51,  55.  220,  267, 
346,  372. 

Granville,  Lord,  21,  58,  63,  79,  122, 
144,  145,  162,  169,173,  185,  208, 
209,  214,  215,  216,  2'20,  222,  224, 
227,  228,  229  sqq.,  237,  240,  241, 

249,  266,  274  .syy.,  277,  285,  296, 
297,  332,  339,  340,  343,  344,  346 
s(jq.,  355,  358,  365,  372,  376,  378, 
388,  393,  395,  396,  426. 

Greece,  King  of,  337,  338. 
Green  (the  aeronaut),  62. 
Greenacre  (the  murderer),  27. 
Grenfell,  Charles,  79,  152,  176. 
Grenfell,  Henrv,  152,  177. 
Grenfell,  Miss,  296. 
Greville,  Charles,  17,  55,  57, 164  .s^y., 

250,  354,  389,  426. 
Greville,  Henry,  164,  354. 
Greville,  Hubert,  81,  83. 

Grey,  General  Charles,  149,  161,  172, 

183,  201,  221  s(j(j. 
Grev,  Harry,  215. 
Grey,  Lady,  160,  162,  322,  339. 
Grey,    Lady  (widow  of  Sir  Henrv 

Grey),  163. 
Grev,  Lady  Georgiana,  161,  397. 
Grey,  Lord  (1),  10,  19,  121,  159  sqq., 

168,  205. 
Grev,  Lord  (2),  287. 
Grev,  Miss  Sybil,  201. 
Grey,  Sir  Edward,  253  7wte,  386-388, 

403. 
Grey,  Sir  George,  119, 162,317,  347. 
Grimston,  Bob,  234. 
Grirathorpe,  Lord,  39. 
Grisi,  60,  154. 
Grosvenor,  Lord  Robert,   156,  199, 

203. 
Grosvenor,  Richard,  379,  393. 


Giiizot,  M.,  371. 

(Jull,  Sir  William,  189,  222,  230. 

Gunning,  Miss,  262. 

Gurdon,  W.  B.,  2u7,  208,  251,  271. 

Gurney,  S.,  179. 

Guthrie,  Charles,  400. 

Hading,  Jane,  372. 

Hadfield,  Mr.,  41. 

Haggart,  Colonel,  321. 

Halifax,  Lady,  397. 

Halifax,  Lord,  184,  285,  So6  (see  also 

Wood,  Sir  Charles). 
Halifax,  Marquis  of,  153. 
Hall,  Captain,  126,  127,  128. 
Hall,  Major,  100. 
Hall,  Miss  Browniow,  328. 
Hall,  Sir  Benjamin,  78. 
Hallam  (the  historian),  54,  378. 
Hallam,  Arthur,  247. 
Ibnnbro,  C,  274,  387,  388. 
Hanibro,  Everard,  328. 
Hamilton,  Duke  of,  262. 
Hamilton,  Sir  Edward,  212,  259,  312, 

341,  359,  388,  398,  409. 
Hammond,  Mr.  (Under-Secretarv  of 

the  Foreign  Ollicc),  215,  224,  228. 
Hampden,  Lord,  253,  371,  372. 
Hampton,  Lord,  287. 
Handel,  188. 
Ilarcourt,  Ladv,  397. 
Harcourt,  Sir  William,  229,  262,  825, 

333,  359,  360,  374,  387,  392,  394, 

396,  403. 
Ilardingc,  Colonel,  100,  105. 
Ilardingo,  Lady  Emily,  22. 
Hardinge,  Loi'd,  40. 
Ilardingc,  Miss,  20. 
Hardinge,  Sir  Arthur,  21. 
Hardinge,  Sir  Henry,  21. 
H.'irman,  Colonel,  373. 
Harrowbv,  Lord,  41,  73. 
Hart,  Sir  Robert,  343. 
Hartington,  Lord,  173,  259,  277,  296, 

324,  326,  343,  362,  378,  392,  401, 

402. 
Harvey,  Rev.  —  (Rector  of  Ewelme), 

244. 
Hastings,  Lord,  17. 
Hatherton,  Lord,  156. 


434 


INDEX 


Havelock,  Sir  Henry,  181. 

Hawker,  Rev.  Robert,  279. 

Hay,  Colonel,  264. 

Hay,  Robert,  104,  107. 

Hayter,  Arthur,  387. 

Havter,  Ladv,  278. 

Hayter,  Sir  William,  45,  156. 

Havward,  Abraham,  56,  C7,  344,  357, 
389. 

Healy,  Father,  307,  308. 

Helps,  Sir  Artlnir,  210. 

Henderson,  Colonel,  395. 

Henley,  Captain,  100. 

Henley,  Lady,  34. 

Henlev,  Lord,  27. 

Henley,  Mr.,  172,  369. 

Henley,  Rev.  Robert,  33,  35. 

Herbert,  George,  221. 

Herbert,  Sidney,  55,  151,  182,  410. 

Herries,  Sir  Charles,  264,  282,  283, 
297,  310,  312,  314-316,  342. 

Herbert,  Sir  Robert,  33,  253. 

Herschell,  Sir  Farrer,  351,  386, 
410. 

Hichens,  Andrew,  349,  384. 

Hicks-Beach,  Sir  M.,  381,  382,  384, 
892,  394,  405,  407. 

Higgins.  Mr.  ("Jacob  Omnium"), 
149,  150. 

Higginson,  Colonel,  81. 

Hill,  Frank,  387. 

Hobhouse,  Stewart,  47,  60. 

Hodgson,  Kirkman,  41,  202. 

Hogg,  Sir  James,  180. 

Holland,  Lady,  147. 

Holland,  Lord,  161. 

Hood,  Thomas,  31. 

Hooker,  Mr.  (Director  of  Kew  Gar- 
dens), 243. 

Hope,  Lady  Mildred  Beresford,  14. 

Hope,  Miss  Agnes,  296. 

Hope,  Mr.  Philip  Beresford,  7. 

Hope,  Mrs.  Thomas,  7. 

Houghton,  Lord,  55. 

Howard,  Cardinal,  47. 

Howard,  Harrv,  163,  386,  388. 

Howard,  Stafford,  388. 

Howick,  Lord  (see  Grey,  Lord). 

Hudson,  Sir  James,  30,  31. 

Hudson  (the  "  Railway  King  "),  73. 


Hughes,  Mr.  (of  the   English   Em- 
bassy, Paris),  86. 
Hughes,  Tom,  263. 
Hume,  Joseph,  30. 
Hunt,  Holman,  62. 
Hunt,  Mr.  Ward,  40,  361. 
Huskisson,  Mr.,  15,  370. 

Iddesleigh,  Lord,  380  note,  385,  390, 
407,  409  (.see  also  Nortlicote,  Sir 
Stafford). 

Inglis,  Colonel,  149. 

Inverness,  Duchess  of,  17L 

Irvine,  85. 

Irving,  Sir  Henry,  227. 

Ives,  Mrs.,  111. 

James,  G.  P.  R.,  22. 

James,  Sir   Henry,   236,    388,    389, 

401. 
James,  Sir  Walter,  344. 
Jardins,  M.  des,  260. 
Jekyll,  Joseph,  56. 
Jenner,  Captain,  138. 
Jephson,  Mr.,  303,  807. 
Jesse,  John  Heneage,  46,  104. 
Jocelvn,  Lord,  77,  108. 
Johnson,  Dr.,  250,  421. 
Jolliffe,  Headwortii,  109,  111-113. 
Jordan,  Mrs.,  171. 
JuIIien,  65. 

Kate,  Sir  John,  194. 

Kean,  Charles,  154. 

Kelly,  Sir  Fitzroy,  9,  10. 

Kenneth,  Miss,  98. 

Keppel,  Colin,  373,  374,  376. 

Keppel,  Ladv,  7,  37. 

Keppel,  Sir  Henrv,  5,  47,  111,  178, 

329,  330,  341. 
Kimberley,  Lord,  83,  34,  119,  363. 
Kinglake,  A.  W.,  52. 
Kingsdown,  Lord,  9. 
Kingsley,  Charles,  174,  273. 
Kinloch,  Mr.,  109,  110,  111-113. 
Kinsman,  Rev.  — ,  278. 
Knollys,  Miss,  388. 
Knowles,  Mr.  (of  the  Nineteenth  Cen- 
^  tury),  377. 
Koeiiig,  65. 


435 


INDEX 


Ladlache,  60. 
liahouc'liere,  Mr.  Henry,  R3. 
Lamb,  Charles,  131,  19-1. 
Lambert,  Sir  John,  349,  850. 
Lane-Fox,  Charles,  58. 
Lane-Fox,  Mr.s.,  122. 
Lanertoii,  Lord,  IGl,  291. 
Laiistlowne,   Lord,  48,   54,   Vl,  144, 

186  (see  also  Pettv,  Lord  Heury). 
Law,  W.,  268. 
Lawrence.SirJolin'(afterwardsLord), 

179,  181,  183,  184,285. 
Lavard,  Mr.,  262. 
*  Lee,  Admiral,  22. 
Leigh,  Mr.  Pemberton,  9. 
Leslie,  John,  174. 
Leslie,  Mrs.  John,  186. 
Lesseps,  355. 
Leven,  Lord,  260. 
Leveson,  George,  393. 
Leveson-Gower,  Frederick,  220,  230, 

372,  392. 
Levy,  Edward,  236,  389. 
Lewis,  George,  389. 
Lewis,  Lady  Tlieresa,  57. 
Lewis,  Sir  George  Cornewall,  34,  57, 

249,  348. 

Lind,  Jenny,  60,  154,  384,  385. 
Lindsay,  Bob  (see  Wantage,  Lord). 
Lingen",    Lord,  253,   287,   289,  290, 

317,  382. 
Lisgar,  Lord,  268. 
Lister,  Miss,  57. 
Liverpool,  Lord,  371. 
Lloyd,  Clifford,  302. 
Loch,  Henry,  156. 
Locker,  Frederick,  45. 
Long,  Lady  Catherine,  18. 
Long,  Mr.,  423. 
Long,  Mr.  Henry,  18. 
Lome,  Lord,  352. 
Lothian,  Lord,  32,  41. 
Louis  Napoleon,  52. 
Louis  of  Hesse,  Prince,  275. 
Louis  Philippe,  35. 
Lowe,  Robert,  33,  65,  196,  234,  236, 

250,  258,  262,  268,  271,  284,  293, 
309,  351  (see  also  Sheibrooke, 
Lord). 

Lowell,  351,  370. 


Lowndes,  Selby,  233. 
Lowther,  Sir  John,  23. 
Lowthcr,  William,  386. 
Lubbock,  Sir  John,  32. 
Lucan,  Lord,  141. 
Lucy,  of  Charlecote,  Mr.,  41. 
Lumley,  Augustus,  47,  49. 
Lumsden,  Sir  Peter,  382. 
Luttrell,  Henry,  52,  66,  147. 
Lyall,  Sir  Alfred,  32. 
Lvmington,  Lord,  346. 
Lyndluirst,  Lord,  143,  173,  335. 
Lvons,  Captain  (of  the  Miranda),  99. 
Lyons,  Lord,  200,  34t). 
Lyons,  Sir  Edmund,  74,  99,  119. 
Lyttelton,  Alfred,  379,  410. 
Lntelton,  Arthur,  331,  337. 
Lvttelton,  Lady,  275. 
Lyttelton,  Lord,  4,  5,  280. 
Lvttelton,  Mrs.  Alfred,  387,  400. 
Lyttelton,  Mrs.  Neyille,  259,  281. 
Lyttelton,  Spencer,   344,    355,   359, 

387. 
Lytton,  Lord  (Viceroy  of  Lidia),  285, 

'375. 
Lytton,  Sir  E.,  65,  342,  360. 

Macan,  Dr.,  46,  152. 

Macaulay,  Lord,   3,  54,  64,  65,  248, 

255,  279,  280,  287,  315,  378. 
Macdonald,  Jem,  148. 
Macdonald,  Sir  Archibald,  187. 
Mahon,  Lord,  21. 
Malmesbury,  Lord,  70,  362. 
Manners,  Lord  John,  351,  362,  364. 
Manning,  Cardinal,  385,  422. 
Mannings,  The,  27. 
Mario,  60,  154. 
Marjoribauks,  Edward,  400,403,406, 

412. 
Marjoribauks,  Lady  Fanny,  395,  400, 

412. 
Marochetti,  174. 
Marriott,  Mr.,  354. 
JIarsham,  Robert,  2. 
Marwood  (the  executioner),  210. 
Mary,  Queen,  419. 
Maryi)orougli,  Lord  (afterwards  Lord 

Mornington),  22. 
Mason,  Mrs.,  320. 


436 


INDEX 


Mathewg,  Charles,  373. 

Matthews,  Rt.  Hon.  Henry,  388. 

Maiile,  Mr.  Justice,  351. 

Maulev,  Lord  de,  165. 

May,  Sir  Erskiiie,  231,  272,  324,  349, 

350,  376,  380,  401,  410. 
Mazzini,  345. 
Meade,  "  Bobsy,"  209,  210,  221,  226, 

227,  244,  266,  296,  378. 
Melbourne,  Lord,  8,  9,  10,  29,  146, 

180,  290. 
Melvill,  Sir  William,  299,  311. 
Melville,  Whyte,  233,  234. 
Mei'ivale,  Herman,  207. 
Meynell-Ingranis,  the,  23. 
Milbank,  Mrs.,  282. 
Mildniay,  Bingham,  384. 
Mildmay,  Frank,  400. 
Mildmav,  Frederick,  388. 
Mill,  John  Stuart,  194,  199,  203. 
Millais,  Sir  John,  186,  263. 
Mills,  Arthur,  378. 
Mills,  Mrs.,  59. 
Mills,  Sir  Charles,  179. 
Milne,  Admiral,  47. 
Millies,  Mr.  Mouckton  (see  Houghton, 

Lord). 
Mirabeau,  285. 
Mitford,  Bertie,  33. 
Moles  worth,  Lady,  56. 
Monk-Bretton,  Lord,  33. 
Monmouth,  Duchess  of,  303. 
Montgomery,  Alfred,  42, 47,204,262, 

264,  317,"  320. 
Montgomery,  Sir  Robert,  179. 
Montresor,  Colonel,  106. 
Moore,  Captain  John,  167,  168. 
Moore,  George,  78,  79. 
Moore,  Mr.  A.,  419. 
Moore,  Thomas,  155. 
More-Molyneux,  Mr.,  347. 
Morgan,  Mr.  J.  S.,  314,  320,  321,  358, 

386. 
Morier,  Robert,  16,  85,  262. 
Morlev,  Arnold,  392,  393,  398,  404, 

406,  424. 
Murley,  Lady,  13,  142. 
Morley,  Lord,  274. 
Morley,  Mr.  John,  250,  253  note,  325, 

344,  345,403,411,  423,424. 


Morton,  Lord,  341. 

Motley,  Mr.,  62,  55,  263. 

Muncaster,  Lord,  221. 

Miindella,  Mr.,  380. 

Miinster,  Count,  374. 

Murphy,  Sergei^nt,  60,  61. 

Murray,  Captain  (of  the  Cuckoo),\Z%. 

Murray,  Greuville,  92. 

Murray,  Herbert,  42. 

Murray,  Mr.  John,  280,  286. 

Musurus,  Madame,  200. 

Napier,  Sir  Charles,  71,  181. 

Napoleon  L,  321,  378. 

Napoleon  HL,  43,  49,  54,  140,  157. 

Neate,  Mr.,  342. 

Neeld,  Lady  Caroline,  180. 

Nevill,  Lady  Dorothy,  8,  18,  52. 

Nevill,  Mr.,  18. 

Newcastle,  Duke  of,  55,  68,  142,  247, 

248,  282. 
Newman,  Sir  R.,  79,  83. 
Ney,  Edgar,  38. 
Nightingale,  Miss,  HI. 
Nolan,  Colonel,  75. 
Norman,  Sir  Henry,  396. 
Normanby,  Lord,  63. 
North,  Colonel,  59. 
Northbrook,  the  first  Lord,  8. 
Northbrook,  the  present  Lord,  119, 

156,  172,  177,  178,  230,  240,  309, 

317,  343,  357,  377,  396,  403. 
Northcote,  Henry,  288. 
Northcote,  Sir  Stafford,  252, 287,292, 

299,  309,  317,  327,  329,  345,  362, 

365,    366,  380,  381,  382,  419  (see 

also  Iddesleigh,  Lord). 
Northcote,  Walter,  284,354,  365,  366, 

368,    373,  380  note    (see  also  St. 

Cyres,  Lord). 
Norton,  Mrs.,  55,  60,  151,  240. 

O'CoNNELL,  Daniel,  285,  389. 
O'Connell,  Morgan,  140. 
O'Dowd,  Mr.,  67. 
Oldfield,  Anne,  2. 
Oliphant,  Laurence,  263. 
Omar  Pasha,  91,  98. 
Oom,  Mr.,  16. 
Oppenheim,  Mr.,  388. 


437 


INDEX 


Orford,  Eail  of,  2. 

Orfoni,  Lord  (the  author's  grand- 
father), 2. 

Orford,  Lord  (the  author's  uncle),  16, 
18. 

Orsay,  Count  d',  43,  47,  40,  146. 

Osborne,  Bernal,  44,  56,  168,  196, 
243,  351. 

Outrain,  Sir  James,  180,  181. 

Overend  &  Gurney,  190,  222. 

Overstonc,  Lord,  377. 

Pagkt,  Augustus,  15. 
Paget,  Clarence,  167. 
Paget,  George,  113,  144,  156. 
Paget,  Lady  Florence,  156. 
Paget,  Sir  James,  189. 
Pakington,  Sir  John,  167,  198. 
Palgrave,  262. 
Palmer  (the  poisoner),  141. 
Palmerston,  Ladv,  49,  56. 
Palmerston,  Lord,  2,  8,  9,  15,  16,  43, 

54,  56,  60,  63,  64,  68,70,  71,  118, 

143,  155,  157,  173,  174,  185,  187, 

190,  248,  249,  353,  354,  355,  389. 
Panizzi  (of  the  British  Museum),  220, 

344. 
Paiimurc,  Lord,  118,  120. 
Parke,  Lady,  77. 
Parnell,  Charles  S.,  301,  302,  360, 

389,  397,  405,  424. 
Paul,  Mrs.,  62. 

Paiil,  Strahan  &  Bates,  Messrs.,  141. 
Paulton,  Mr.,  403. 
Paxton,  Sir  Joseph,  58. 
Pearson,  Dick,  99. 
Peel,  General,  198. 
Peel,  George,  371. 
Peel,  Mr.  (candidate  for  Accrington), 

40. 
Peel,  Sir  Frederick,  40. 
Peel,  Sir  Robert  (1),   29-31,  38-40, 

121,  151,  206,  247,  285,  342,  348, 

370,  421. 
Peel,  Sir  Robert  (2),  40. 
Peel,  Sir  William,  40. 
Peel,  Viscount,  32,  40,  253. 
Pelham,  Captain,  127. 
Pell,  Mr.,  370. 
Pennington,  Mr.,  386. 


Percy,  Lord,  386,  387. 

Petty,  Lord  Henry,  54,  186,  278  (see 

also  Lansdowne,  Loni). 
Peyton,  Rev.  Algernon,  5. 
Peyton,  Sir  Ilenry,  39. 
I'liillip.s  II.,  262. 
Pliipps,  Colonel,  149. 
Pickering,  Edward,  31. 
Pitt,  William,  2,  44,  198,  250,  258, 

259,  328,  358,  416. 
Playfair,  Sir  Lyon,  353. 
Pleurae,  Vicomte  de,  265. 
riiinkct.  Lord,  146. 
Pollington,  Lady,  8,  18. 
I'ollington,  Lord,  18. 
Ponsonby,  Ashley,  110,  113. 
Ponsonby,  Edward,  376. 
PonsonV;y,  Gerald,  48,  66. 
Ponsonby,  Ilenry,  393,  425. 
Ponsonby-Fane,  K.C.B.,  Sir  Spencer, 

15,  16. 
Ponsonby,  Mrs.,  161. 
Portarlington,  Lord,  58  note. 
Porter,  Ma.jor,  96. 
Portland,  Duke  of,  242. 
Portman,  Willie,  233. 
Poste,  Mr.,  386. 
Pratt  (of  Pratt's  Club),  154. 
Presslev,  Sir  Charles,  407. 
Price,  Tom,  237. 
Prout,  Father,  198. 

QUAIN,  Dr.,  242. 
Quill,  Dr.,  56. 

Raciikl  (the  actress),  153,  154,  263. 

lliiglan,  Lord,  22,  74,  75,  99,  118, 
119. 

Ilaikcs,  Mr.  ( 77mcs  correspondent), 
124. 

Ralli,  P.,  357. 

Ralston,  Mr.,  426. 

Ramsden,  Mrs.,  424. 

Ranisden,  Sir  James,  332. 

Rathbonc,  Mr.,  353,  354. 

Rawson,  Mr.,  188. 

Reeve,  Mr.  (editor  of  the  Edinhmih 
Review\  211. 

Reiiaud,  M.  (French  Consul  at  Bel- 
grade), 88. 


438 


INDEX 


Reschid  Pasha,  112. 

Ribblesdale,  Lady,  387,400,410,425. 

Ribblesdale,  Lord,  425. 

Riclimoud,  Duke  of,  72,  356. 

Ridley,  Sir  M.,  386. 

Ripoii,  Lady,  266,  296,  309,  379. 

Ripon,  Lord,  217,  300,  309,  343,  396, 
397. 

Ristori,  154. 

Rivers,  Lord,  187. 

Roberts,  Lord,  32. 

Roberts,  Mr.  (Inlatid  Revenue  Com- 
missioner), 264. 

Robespierre,  202. 

Robson  (the  actor),  153. 

"  Rochford,  Johnnie,"  S3,  34. 

Roebuck,  J.  A.,  41,  389. 

Rogers,  Samuel,  51,  52,  354. 

Rogers,  Sir  Frederick,  27. 

Rokeby,  Lady,  200. 

Rokeby,  Lord,  66,  111,  112,  200. 

Rolfe,  Baron,  8. 

Romer,  Mr.,  354. 

Roniilly,  Colonel,  28. 

Ros,  Miss  de,  20. 

Rosati,  60,  154. 

Rose,  Lady,  242,  276,  314,  320,  321. 

Rose,  Sir  John,  241,  242,  313  sqq., 
320,  321,  330,  375. 

Rosebery,  Lady,  293,  398. 

Rosebery,  Lord,  253  note,  256,  258, 
356,  358,  376,  395. 

Ross,  Sir  William,  160. 

Rossa,  O'Donovan,  225. 

Rosslyn,  Lord,  165. 

Rothschild,  Baron,  157,  233,  425. 

Rous,  Admiral,  11,  47. 

Rowscll,  Mr.,  268. 

Rubini,  60. 

Rush  (the  murderer),  8. 

Ruskin,  Mr.,  262,  352. 

Russell,  Countess,  171. 

Russell,  George,  47. 

Russell,  Hastings,  57,  58. 

Russell,  Lady  Rachel,  324. 

Russell,  Lady  William,  57. 

Russell,  Lord  Arthur,  47,  85,  133, 
262,  384. 

Russell,  Lord  Charles,  221. 

Russell,  Lord  John  (af  terwardsEarl), 


8,  9,  10,  54,57,  63,64,  68,70,71, 

78,  117,  118,  144,  157,  171,  173, 

187,  190,  195,  197,  249. 
Russell,  Lord  William,  26. 
Russell,  Odo,47,85  {see  also  Ampthill, 

Lord). 
Ryan,  Sir  Charles,  38. 

Sackville,  Lord,  22  note  2. 

Saffi,  345. 

Said  Pasha,  95,  96. 

St.  Albans,  Duchess  of,  171. 

St.  Albans,  Duke  of,  201. 

St.  Arnaud,  Marshal,  74. 

St.  Cyr,  General,  67  and  note. 

St.  Cyres,  Lord,  386,  387,  390,  391, 
402,  407,  408. 

St.  Maur,  Lady  Hermione  (afterwards 
wife  of  Sir  Frederick  Graham),  70. 

Salisbury,  Lord,  21,  22,  32,  40,  190, 
285,  327,  363,  367,  391,  408,  409, 
418,419. 

Saltoun,  Lord,  329,  380. 

Salvini,  154. 

Sandhurst,  Lord,  387. 

Sandwich  Lady,  143. 

Sandwich,  Lord,  143. 

Sandwith,  Dr.,  276. 

Sardinia,  King  of,  123. 

Sarell,  Mr.  (a  dragoman  of  the  Eng- 
lish Embassy,  Constantinople),  92- 
94. 

Sayer,  Captain,  141. 

Scarlett,  General,  104,  106. 

Scarlett,  Sir  James,  8,  9. 

Scarlett,  Willie,  104,  105. 

Schiller,  419. 

Scott,  Hope,  247. 

Scott,  Lady,  8. 

Scott,  Sir  Walter,  281,  286. 

Seccombe,  Mr.,  193. 

Seeley,  Mr.,  186. 

Selwyn,  Colonel,  163. 

Seymour,  Admiral,  125. 

Seymour,  Alfred,  199. 

Seymour,  Francis,  128. 

Seymour,  Lady,  10,  139. 

Seymour,  Lord,  10. 

Seymour,  Mrs.  (a  dwarf),  122. 

Shaftesbury,  Lady,  156. 


439 


INDEX 


Shaftesbury,  Lord,  180. 
Shafto,  Mr.,  204. 
Shah  of  Persia,  26G. 
Shaw-Lefevre,  George,  32,  251,  376, 

387. 
Sheffield,  George,  346. 
Shelley,  Ladv,  12. 
Shelley,  Sir  John,  79. 
Sherbrooke,  Lord,  346,  364  {see  also 

Lowe,  Robert). 
Sheridan,  Charles,  46. 
Sheridan,  Frank,  46. 
Sheridan,  Richard  LSrinsley,  69,  139. 
Shrewsbury,  Lord,  15G. 
Sibthorp,  Colonel,  64. 
Simpson,  General,  118. 
Smith,  Albert,  61,  62. 
Smith,  Jervoise,  47,   100,  101,  108, 

123,  124,  136,  137,  178,336,357. 
Smith,  Madeleine,  158. 
Siiiitii,  Mr.  Bosworth,  184. 
Smith,  Mr.  John  Abel,  17'J. 
Smith,  Mr.  W.  n.,  21,  224,234,  320, 

392. 
Smith,  Mrs.  Albert,  61. 
Smith,  Sydney,  24,  56,  159,  243. 
Smith,  Vernon,  158. 
Smythe,  George,  28. 
Sneyd,  Mr.  Frank,  237. 
Solar,  Felix,  198. 

Somerset,  Duchess  of,  55,  69,  360. 
Somerset,  Duke  of,  167. 
Somerset,  Lord  Fitzroy,  22. 
Somerton,  Lady,  150,  230. 
Somerton,  Lord,  150,  230. 
Somervilie,  Mrs.,  7. 
Sontag,  60,  154. 
Sothehy,  Henry,  152,  172,  198. 
Soutluuiipton,  Lord,  324. 
Spalding,  Augustus,  45. 
Spedding,  Mr.,  262. 
Spencer,  Lady,  409. 
Spencer,  Lady  Sarah,  352. 
Spencer,    Lord,  155,  324,  325,  359, 

360,  392,  398,  399,  409. 
Spencer,  Lord  Robert,  161. 
Spring-Rice,  Charles,  15. 
Staidiope,  Lady  Evelyn,  148. 
Stanhope,  Lord,  21,  282. 
Stanley,  Lord,  183,  284. 


Stanley,  Miss,  111,  112. 

Stanlev,  Mr.,  274. 

Stansfeld,  Mr.  James,  178,  199, 

Steel,  Tom,  99,  107. 

Steele,  Sir  Thomas,  302. 

Stephen,  Mr.  (afterwards  Lord  Mount 

Stephen),  313. 
Stephenson,  Ben,  108. 
Stephenson,  Charles,  274. 
Stephenson,   General  Sir  Frederick, 

68. 
Stephenson,  Mrs.,  340. 
Stephenson,   Sir  William,   39,   151, 

263,  264,  271,  282,  317. 
Stewart,  General,  373,  374. 
Stirbey,  Prince,  93. 
Stirling-Maxwell,  262. 
Stonor,  Frank,  47. 
Storks,  Sir  Henry,  269  and  7iote. 
Stratford,  Lord,  152,  ICO. 
Strangford,  Lord,  22. 
Stratford,  Lady,  111. 
Stratford,  Lord,  111. 
Stratheden,  Lady,  9. 
Strathraore,  Lady,  150,  151. 
Strathiiiore,  Lord,  150,  151. 
Strathnairn,  Lord,  346,  347. 
Streletzky,  Count,  227. 
Stuart-Wortlev,  Mr.  James,  227. 
Stuart-Wortley,  Mrs.,  259,  281. 
Siurgis,  Harry,  387. 
Sturt,  Napier,  397. 
Siiflolk,  Lord,  361. 
Su.-^se.x,  Duke  of,  170,  171. 
Swinburne,  Mr.  Algernon,  33. 
Svdnev,  Ladv,  51,  139,  164. 
Sydney,  Lord,  147,  148,  164,  182. 
Szechenyi,  Stephen,  89. 

Taglioni,  60,  154. 

Talbot,  Colonel  (Dublin  Police),  301. 

Talfourd,  Tom,  42,  153. 

Talleyrand,  255,  267,  268. 

Tamberlik,  154. 

Taunton,  Lord,  119. 

Tawell  (the  murderer),  9,  10. 

Taylor,  Brydges,  15. 

Taylor,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  138. 

Taylor,  Sir  Henry,  54,  163,  168. 

Taylor,  Tom,  263. 


440 


INDEX 


Tedesco,  Madame,  85.  [  Voltaire,  426. 

Temple,Marion,(eldest  sister  of  Lord  |  Yyner,  Clare,  217. 


Cobham,  and  wife  of  the  Venerable 

Archdeaeon  West),  2. 
Tennaiit,  Ladv,  361. 
Tennant,  Miss  Laura,  331,  333,  334, 

336,  337,  339,357,  379. 
Tennant,  Sir  Charles,  361,  387. 
Tenniel,  Mr.,  352,  353. 
Tennvson,  Hallam,  331,  355. 
Tennyson,  Lord,  185,  263,  287,  331, 

333  s<jq.,  338,  355. 
Tenterden,  Lord,  154. 
Thackeray,  20,  54,  59,  61,  62,  186, 

204,  261,  263. 
Thiers,  M.,  54,  67,  174,  237,  265. 
Thistlewood,  73,  74. 
Thomas,    Mr.  (landscape  gardener), 

274,  275. 
Thompson   (of  Trinity  College),  Dr., 

40. 
Thompson,  Lieutenant-Goyernor,  32. 
Thompson,  Yates,  325. 
Thorwaldsen,  136. 
Todleben,  74. 
Townley,  Mr.,  39. 
Townshend,  Lord,  164. 
Tree,  Mrs.  Beerbohm,  366,  372,  425. 
Trevejyan,  Sir  Cliarles,193,  194,  362. 
TreyelVan,  Sir  Geor<ie,  268,  279,  280, 

326,'  380,  398,  400. 
Trollope,  Anthony,  263. 
Troubridge,  Sir  Thomas,  140. 
Tryon,  Admiral  Sir  George,  32. 
Tuckett,  Captain,  27. 

Vane,  Dolly,  104. 
Venables.  262. 
Verger  (phrenologist),  282. 
Vesci,  Lord  de,  397. 


Vyner,  Freddy,  221. 

Waldegrate,  Lady,  56. 

Wales,  Prince  of,  29,  53,  228,  229, 

238,  240,  275,  319. 
Wales,  Princess  of,  184,  187,  240, 

319,  337,  338. 
Walewska,  Madame,  73. 
Walpole,  Colonel,  14,  172. 
Walpole,  Fred,  111,  112. 
Walpole,  Horace,  203. 
Walpole,  Lady  Charlotte,  5,  18. 
Walpole,  Lady  Mary,  2. 
Walpole,  Miss  Fanny  Lambert,  5. 
Walpole,  Sir   Robert,   2,    144,  164, 

211. 
AValpole,  Spencer  (1),  173,  197. 
Walpole,  Spencer  (2),  4. 
Walpole,  the  Misses,  2,  226. 
Walrond,  Mr.  Theodore,  253. 
Wantage,  Lord,  58  note,  74,  79,  103. 
Warbuiton,  Eliot,  52. 
Ward,  Lord,  253. 
Waterfield,  Henry,  177. 
Waterford,  Lady,  164. 
Waterford,  Lord,  46. 
Waterton  (the  naturalist),  23,  24. 
Watney,  Mr.,  299. 
Watson,  William  (the  poet),  216. 
Watts,  G.  F.,  262. 
Webb,  Godfrey,  354. 
Webster,  Clara,  153. 
Welby,  Lord,  33,  44,  220,  242,  253, 

264,  272,  274,  2SS,  296,  330,  356, 

378,  382,  409,  412,  423,  424. 
Wellesley,  Captain,  127,  130,  131. 
Wellesley,  Gerald,  247. 
Wellesley,  Lord,  42,  204. 
Victoria,  Queen,  23,  26,  29,  38,  123,    Wellesley,  Richard,  15. 

140,  146,  164,  171,  174,  185,  205,  I  Wellington,  Duke  of,  19,  20,  21,  30, 


242,  251,  265,  302,  345,  370. 
Villiers,  Charles,  64,  122,  211,  347, 

369,  371,372,  389. 
Villiers,  Mrs.  Jack,  234. 
Vincent,  Admiral,  22. 
Viyian,  C,  336. 
Viyian,  Hussey,  66. 
Viyian,  Mrs.,  238. 


38,  57,  59,  66,  67,  72,  205,  214, 

329,  330,  356,  357,  372. 
Wensleydale,  Lord,  143. 
West,  Augustus  William,  198,  240. 
West,  Balchen,  2. 
West,  Gilbert  (1),  4,  5,  328. 
West,  Gilbert  (2),  4. 
West,  Gilbert  Richard,  185,  385. 


441 


INDEX 


Wfst,  M.P.,  Q.C.,  Henry,  5,  11,  33, 

387,  397. 
West,  Horace,   172,  174,   184,   198, 

241),  274,  275,  281,  293,  300,  324, 

325,  376,  410,  424, 
West,  Lionel  (str  Sackville,  Lord). 
West,   Martin  John  (father   of   Sir 

Algernon  We.'it),  1,  2,  1(»,  11,  19, 

23,  178,  198,  226. 
"West,  Miss  Constance,  240,  241,  290, 

298,  346,  361,  398,  406. 
"West,  Reginald  Jervoise,  178,  293, 

385. 
"West,  Rev.  Richard,  5,  20,  31,  37,  38, 

178,  228,  368. 
"West,  the  "Venerable  Archdeacon,  2. 
"West,  Vice-Admiral  Temple,  2. 
Westburv,  Lord,  188,  189,  223,  268, 

347. 
"Westmoreland,  Lady,  85,  86. 
Westmoreland,  Lord,  85,  86. 
Whitbread,  Sam,  167,  300,  829,  392, 

402. 
"White,  Rev.  H.,  258. 
"Whvmper,  Mr.,  33. 
Wigan,  Alfred,  153,  263. 
"Wilberforee,  Bishop,  35,  284  {see  also 

Winchester,  Bishop  of). 
William  IV.,  19,  21,  140,  171,  247. 
Williams,  Montagu,  61. 
Wilson  (the  Netherby  fisherman),  69, 

70. 


Wilson,  Mr.  James,  362. 

Wilson,  Sir  Charles,  374,  376. 

WiLson,  Sir  R.,  140. 

Wilson,  Sir  Rivers,  33. 

Winchester,  Bishop  of,  266,  268  {see 
also  Wilberforee,  Bishop). 

Winchilsea,  Lord,  165. 

Windsor,  Dean  of,  229. 

Wodeliouse,  Lord,  178. 

Wolff,  Drnmmond,  286. 

Wolseley,  Lord,  358,  372. 

Wolverton,  George,  356. 

Wolverton,  Ladv,  406. 

Wolverton,  Lord,  220,  233,  295,  297, 
387,  388,  392,  893,  394,  398-400, 
405,  423  (see  also  Glyn,  George). 

Wonibwell,  Sir  George,  32,  47. 

Wood,  John  (Chairman  of  the  Board 
of  Inland  Revenue),  407. 

Wood,  Lady  Mary,  162,  192. 

Wood,  Sir  Charles,  22,  67,  118  sqq., 
156,  162,  163,  168,  176  sgg.,  177- 
180,  183,  184,  190  .svyry.,  194,  246, 
317  {see  also  Halifax,  Lord). 

Wood,  Sir  Evelyn,  340. 

York,  Archbishop  of,  308. 

Young,  Lord,  257. 

Young,  Mr.  (Secretary  to  the  Board 

of  Inland  Revenue),  297,  298,  316, 

320,  407,  408. 


THE   END 


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